Revealing Charge-Transfer Dynamics at Electrified Sulfur Cathodes Using Constrained Density Functional Theory

To understand and control the behavior of electrochemical systems, including batteries and electrocatalysts, we seek molecular-level details of the charge transfer mechanisms at electrified interfaces. Recognizing some key limitations of standard equilibrium electronic structure methods to model materials and their interfaces, we propose applying charge constraints to effectively separate electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom, which are especially beneficial to the study of conversion electrodes, where electronic charge carriers are converted to much slower polarons within a material that is nonmetallic. We demonstrate the need for such an approach within the context of sulfur cathodes …