Mesoporous TiO2 Nanofiber as Highly Efficient Sulfur Host for Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract Currently, lithium–sulfur batteries suffer from several critical limitations that hinder their practical application, such as the large volumetric expansion of electrode, poor conductivity and lower sulfur utilization. In this work, TiO2 nanofibers with mesoporous structure have been synthesized by electrospinning and heat treating. As the host material of cathode for Li–S battery, the as prepared samples with novelty structure could enhance the conductivity of cathode composite, promote the utilization of sulfur, and relieve volume expansion for improving the electrochemical property. The initial discharge capacity of TiO2/S composite cathode is 703 mAh/g and the capacity remained at 652 mAh/g after 200 cycles at 0.1 C, whose the capacity retention remains is at 92.7%, demonstrating great prospect for application in high-performance Li–S batteries.