1C. Although the reversible capacity gradually decreases with the increase in current density, the system still delivers specific discharge capacity of 316 mAh g−1 even

at 1C, i.e., the high-rate RG7112 mouse operation is affordable by the system due to a good ionic conductivity of the GPE and an enhanced conductivity of the graphene containing sulfur composite cathode. Upon the following reduction of the C-rate to 0.1C, the cell recovers about 85% of its initial reversible capacity (538 mAh g−1). This suggests that both the homogeneous dispersion of nanoscopic sulfur in the layers covering the highly conductive GNS nanosheets, which act as selleck chemicals nano-current collectors, provide remarkably enhanced lithium-ion transportation. Figure 4 The electrochemical performance of the Li/GPE/S cell with the S/GNS composite. (a) The initial discharge/charge profiles and (b) cycle performance of the gel polymer cell with S/GNS composite cathode at 0.2C. (c) Rate capability performance of the gel polymer cell with S/GNS composite cathode. Conclusions A novel S/GNS composite with irregular interlaced nanosheet-like

structure and homogeneous distribution of the components was successfully prepared via a simple ball milling of sulfur with commercial multi-layer graphene nanosheets, followed by a heat treatment. This selleck composite was studied in a lithium cell with an original gel polymer electrolyte, 1 mol dm−3 of LiTFSI in PVDF-HFP/PMMA/SiO2 polymer electrolyte, prepared by phase separation. The GPE exhibited Dapagliflozin a pore-rich structure, a high ability to absorb liquid electrolyte exceeding 71 wt%, and a high ionic conductivity at ambient temperature. The Li|GPE|S cells exhibited a high initial specific discharge capacity and maintained a reversible discharge capacity of 413 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles at

0.2C, along with a high coulombic efficiency. Due to a combined positive effect of the nanosheet-like structure of conductive S/GPE composite cathode, retaining the S cathode reaction products-polysulfides, and a highly conductive GPE as a physical barrier for these products’ shuttle, the system could deliver reversible capacity of 316 mAh g−1 even at 1C. The results of this work show that the S/GNS composite cathode prepared in this work via a simple preparation technique, in combination with the original GPE, provides a promising way to develop the Li|S battery with very attractive overall performances and, due to its simplicity, could be a good choice for the scale-up technology for Li/S batteries. Acknowledgements This research was supported by the Research Grant from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and partially by the World Bank – Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan grant. The authors acknowledge the Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System (the General Director Dr. Baigarin) for the overall support to the work.