Method for the fabrication of an electroless-metal-plated sulfur nanocomposite, an electroless-metal-plated sulfur cathode which is made from the nanocomposite, and a battery that uses the cathode

A method for the fabrication of an electroless-metal-plated sulfur nanocomposite, an electroless-metal-plated sulfur cathode which is made from the nanocomposite, and a battery that uses the cathode, where the method includes chemically plating a conductive metal nanoshell onto the surface of the insulating sulfur powder to improve the conductivity of the sulfur cathode material, where through enhancing the electrochemical reaction kinetics with metal catalysis capabilities, and performing physical and chemical adsorption of liquid polysulfides with metal activity, the electroless-metal-plated sulfur nanocomposite enables the battery to exhibit high electrochemical utilization and stable cyclability, such that the nanocomposite can achieve a high sulfur content and high metal content, and the cathode demonstrates a high sulfur loading with a low electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio, the lithium-sulfur battery with the cathode exhibiting a high discharge capacity along with high energy density, and maintaining stable and high reversible capacity after 200 cycles within a wide range of cycling rates.