Electrode materials, and methods of manufacturing and use thereof

A method for manufacturing an electrode material comprising a plurality of nanoparticles, each having a diameter of approximately 100-400 nm and comprising a core and a shell encapsulating the core, the method comprising:

• (1) fabricating the shell of each nanoparticle, such that the shell comprises carbon and nitrogen, respectively having a mass fraction of approximately 70-90% and approximately 5-20% relative to a total mass of the shell;
• and
• (2) encapsulating a core material into the core of each nanoparticle, such that the core material comprises sulfur having a mass fraction of approximately 40-97% relative to a total mass of the core material, and the core material has a mass fraction of approximately 50-90% relative to a total mass of each nanoparticle;
• wherein the step (1) of fabricating the shell of each nanoparticle comprises:
• (a) mixing at least one hydrophilic substance, at least one hydrophobic substance, at least one surfactant, at least one amphiphilic substance to thereby obtain a mixture, such that the at least one hydrophobic substance forms a plurality of vesicles in a medium of the at least one hydrophilic substance in presence of the at least one surfactant, and molecules of the at least one amphiphilic substance self-assemble at a hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface of each vesicle;
• (b) allowing the molecules of the at least one amphiphilic substance self-assembled at the hydrophilic-hydrophobic interface of each vesicle to polymerize, thereby obtaining a plurality of polymerized particles;
• (c) collecting the plurality of polymerized particles, and introducing porosity thereinto;
• and
• (d) performing a carbonization treatment to the plurality of polymerized particles, thereby obtaining the shell for each of the plurality of nanoparticles;
• wherein:
• one or more of the at least one amphiphilic substance is a nitrogen-containing amphiphilic substance;
• and
• the at least one hydrophilic substance, the at least one hydrophobic substance, the at least one surfactant, and the at least one amphiphilic substance do not cross-react with one another.