Preparation of mesohollow and microporous carbon nanofiber and its application in cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries

Highlights: • Mesohollow and microporous carbon fibers were prepared via electrospinning and carbonization. • Sulfur (S) incorporated into the porous fibers by thermal heating in 60 wt.%, forming composite. • S fills fully in the micropores and partially in the mesohollows of the carbon fibers. • The composite shows high capacity and capacity retention as cathode material for Li–S batteries. • Mesohollow and microporous structure is effective in improving the property of S cathode. - Abstract: Mesohollow and microporous carbon nanofibers (MhMpCFs) were prepared by a coaxial electrospinning with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as outer and inner spinning solutions followed by a carbonization. The carbon fibers were thermal treated with sublimed sulfur to form S/MhMpCFs composite, which was used as cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries. Electrochemical study shows that the S/MhMpCFs cathode material provides a maximum capacity of 815 mA h/g after several cycles of activation, and the capacity retains 715 mA h/g after 70 cycles, corresponding to a retention of 88%. The electrochemical property of the S/MhMpCFs composite is much superior than the S-incorporated solid carbon fibers prepared from electrospinning of single PAN. The mechanism of the enhanced electrochemical property of the S/MhMpCFs composite is discussed