Multiwall Carbon Nanotube-Hyperbranched Polymaleimide Core–Shell Nanowires with Hierarchical Porous and Polar Structure as Sulfur Host for Sustainable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have gained considerable attention as a promising alternative to current advanced batteries because of their low cost, natural abundance, high energy density, and environmental benignity of sulfur. The commercial application of Li–S batteries is being seriously impeded by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and the sluggish reaction kinetics of solid phase transformation. Herein, a novel composite material (PPI@MWCNT-Y) with a hierarchical porous skeleton and polar channel is prepared as a sulfur host using a convenient in-situ one-pot polymerization. PPI@MWCNT-Y is composed of conductive mesoporous multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) core and a microporous hyperbranched polymaleimide (PPI) shell formed by the self-polymerization of N,N'-1,4-phenylenedimaleimide (PDM). The mesoporous and conductive channels in PPI@MWCNT-Y improve the redox kinetics of the active materials by serving as a fast electron and Li-ions transportation pathway. The microporous structure and abundant adsorption sites (N and O atoms) within the PPI@MWCNT-Y served as physical and chemical barriers, preventing the loss of LiPSs, and suppressing the shuttle effect. Consequently, the S/PPI@MWCNT-38 composite exhibited a high discharge capacity of 1338 mAh g−1 at 0.2C and a low-capacity decay rate of 0.088% for 400 cycles at 1C.