Mixed ion-electron conductive transition layer induced by the irradiation of chalcogenide based materials

An electrode stabilized by a transition layer, the electrode comprising:

• (a) a porous chalcogenide-based electrode, comprising predominantly crystalline allotropes within the core;
• (b) at least one of a glass, polymeric and amorphous chalcogenide within at least one of the transition layer and a shell covering the surface of the active electrode material, the transition layer comprising a two-dimensional (2D) material, is covalently bonded between said 2D material and the chalcogenide, and 12 weight % or less, based on the total weight of the coated electrode, of polymeric sulfur;
• and
• (c) a coating layer on top of the transition layer, the coating layer comprising a 2D material,
• (d) a density gradient between the crystalline core and the at least one of the glass, polymeric and amorphous chalcogenide shell,
• (e) an electrode in which the volume of crystalline allotrope present within inner voids represents a buffer volume configured to compensate the volumetric fluctuation during battery cycling,
• (f) a chalcogenide electrode, where the electrode active mass consists of binary and or ternary dopant including selenium, tellurium having composition (SexSy), (TexSy), (TexSySez), wherein the mass content of sulfur in the cathode is above 50% per weight of a total chalcogenide content, wherein
• (g) the coated electrode, comprising at least one sulfur allotrope that is doped with at least one of a chalcogenide and a halogen, comprised from 0.001 to 50 weight % of the chalcogenide, halogen or mixture thereof, based on the total weight of the sulfur allotrope.