S/C Composites with Different Carbon Matrices as Cathode Materials for Metal–Sulfur Batteries

This work is devoted to a comparative study of the electrochemical properties of S/C composites with different carbon matrices, namely, carbon nanotubes, mesoporous carbon and N-doped carbon nanoflakes, as cathode materials for lithium–sulfur and sodium–sulfur batteries. The best among the investigated samples was the composite based on sulfur and mesoporous carbon (S/MC) due to the partial encapsulation of the sulfur into the pore of the mesoporous carbon. The first-cycle discharge capacities of S/MC in the Li-S and Na-S battery cells were 1247 and 323 mAh*g−1, respectively. The discharge capacities of S/MC in the Li-S and Na-S battery cells after 10 cycles were 270 and 235 mAh*g−1, respectively.