10.1021/acsnano.6b01626.s001 Jun Ming Jun Ming Mengliu Li Mengliu Li Pushpendra Kumar Pushpendra Kumar Lain-Jong Li Lain-Jong Li Multilayer Approach for Advanced Hybrid Lithium Battery American Chemical Society 2016 energy device applications 1675 mA g Advanced Hybrid Lithium Battery cathode electrode capacity Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 1866 mAh g voltage platforms 1 C alternative battery system electron microscope analysis 2016-06-06 00:00:00 Journal contribution https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Multilayer_Approach_for_Advanced_Hybrid_Lithium_Battery/3426158 Conventional intercalated rechargeable batteries have shown their capacity limit, and the development of an alternative battery system with higher capacity is strongly needed for sustainable electrical vehicles and hand-held devices. Herein, we introduce a feasible and scalable multilayer approach to fabricate a promising hybrid lithium battery with superior capacity and multivoltage plateaus. A sulfur-rich electrode (90 wt % S) is covered by a dual layer of graphite/Li<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>5</sub>O<sub>12</sub>, where the active materials S and Li<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>5</sub>O<sub>12</sub> can both take part in redox reactions and thus deliver a high capacity of 572 mAh g<sub>cathode</sub><sup>–1</sup> (<i>vs</i> the total mass of electrode) or 1866 mAh g<sub>s</sub><sup>–1</sup> (<i>vs</i> the mass of sulfur) at 0.1C (with the definition of 1C = 1675 mA g<sub>s</sub><sup>–1</sup>). The battery shows unique voltage platforms at 2.35 and 2.1 V, contributed from S, and 1.55 V from Li<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>5</sub>O<sub>12</sub>. A high rate capability of 566 mAh g<sub>cathode</sub><sup>–1</sup> at 0.25C and 376 mAh g<sub>cathode</sub><sup>–1</sup> at 1C with durable cycle ability over 100 cycles can be achieved. Operando Raman and electron microscope analysis confirm that the graphite/Li<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>5</sub>O<sub>12</sub> layer slows the dissolution/migration of polysulfides, thereby giving rise to a higher sulfur utilization and a slower capacity decay. This advanced hybrid battery with a multilayer concept for marrying different voltage plateaus from various electrode materials opens a way of providing tunable capacity and multiple voltage platforms for energy device applications.