Nickel sulfide cathode for stable charge-discharge rates in lithium rechargeable battery

Highlights: • Nickel sulde uniformly on nickel foam by a solution and melt–diffusion route. • Nearly 100% coulombic efficiency at a high current drain of 8 A g⁻¹. • Uniform and restrictive Li₂S on nickel foam for cycle stability. -- Abstract: Here, a facile and effective approach for achieving high stable lithium rechargeable batteries with varies rates based on a three-dimensional nickel sulfide cathode is demonstrated. The nickel sulfide cathode can deliver an initial specific capacity of 1326.6 mAh g⁻¹ at a current rate of 0.2 C. And a recovered capacity of 770 mAh g⁻¹ and a nearly 100% coulombic efficiency at various current rates is achieved, even at a high current drain of 8 A g⁻¹. The results show that the uniform and restrictive Li₂S on nickel foam skeleton is the main reason for the stable electrochemical performances. The approach will be very attracting for lithium rechargeable batteries.