Organic cellulose-based binder for lithium-sulfur batteries

With the advancement of mobile technology, there has been an increase in the demand for batteries capable of meeting the requirements for high-energy power sources and low-cost. Although, lithium-ion batteries are constantly improving, they are struggling to meet these requirements as they are approaching to their technological and electrochemical limits. Due to their high theoretical energy density and potentially low cost, lithium-sulfur batteries are a promising successor to current lithium-ion batteries in many areas. Unfortunately, some shortcomings in lithium-sulfur battery technology must be addressed before it can be deployed in the commercial sector. Some of the shortcomings could be solved or at least suppressed by binder. Due to environmental concerns, research is mostly focused on non-toxic binders, especially water-soluble binders used in food and cosmetics industry are of particular interest. The aim of this paper is to investigate the possibility of using the organic binder carboxymethyl cellulose in lithium-sulfur batteries. (authors)