Silver Embedded Electrospun Nanofibers as an Efficient Interlayers for High‐Performance Practical Li‐S Batteries

Abstract

Abstract This study presents a practical approach for the synthesis of Ag nanoparticle‐containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers from AgNO 3 ‐doped PVA and PVP precursor solutions at ambient temperature. The prepared nanofibers were coated on the glass fiber separator as efficient interlayers for long‐cycle life Li‐S batteries. The initial specific capacity of the cell with Ag@PVP composite is 1201 mAh g −1 . During the first 500 cycles, the specific capacity retains at 998 mAh g −1 . The specific capacity of Ag@PVA remains at 793 mAh g −1 , resulting in a lower capacity retention rate compared to Ag@PVP after 500 cycles. The best result was achieved by Ag@PVP, which exhibited a capacity retention rate of ≈83% and maintained a coulombic efficiency of 99%, indicating superior cycling stability even after 500 cycles. In addition, the Ag@PVA composite achieved a capacity retention rate of ≈80% and maintained a coulombic efficiency of 97.5% after 500 cycles. The incorporation of highly conductive Ag into the polymer structure can effectively reduce the shuttling effect by enhancing the chemical interactions between polysulfides and modified interlayers. Ag@PVP and Ag@PVA on glass fiber separators can improve cycling stability over long periods of time, making them promising candidates for use in scalable and practical Li‐S batteries.