Defect-Rich Reduced Graphitic Carbon Nitride as the Sulfur Host Material for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Defect-rich reduced graphitic carbon nitride was synthesized using a facile and scalable technique and utilized as the host material for sulfur as the active cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries. Multiple analytical and electrochemical tests were conducted to understand and optimize the physiochemical properties of the reduced graphitic carbon nitride for battery application. By utilizing this sulfur host, the specific capacity of the battery increased by up to 2X over pristine graphitic carbon nitride host at lower charge/discharge rates. The presence of defects and higher porosity compared to pristine graphitic carbon nitride were shown to be the main difference between these sulfur hosts.