Provided are porous Fe.sub.3O.sub.4/sulfur composites. The composites are composed of porous Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 nanoparticles and sulfur, where the sulfur loading is 70-85% by weight based on the total weight of the composite. Also provided are batteries having cathodes containing porous FE.sub.3O.sub.4 composites of the present disclosure.

The invention provides methods of preparing carbon/sulfur composites. In certain embodiments, the composites comprise multidimensional carbon tubular and/or spherical networks loaded with elemental sulfur, as well as compositions comprising such composites.

Porous carbon materials having a yolk-shell structure, methods of making and uses thereof are described. The porous carbon materials can have a sulfur-based yolk positioned within a hollow space of by a porous carbonized metal organic framework (MOF) shell.

A titania-carbon-sulfur composite including a titania-carbon composite prepared by mixing cylindrical carbon materials and titania (TiO.sub.2-x), in which some oxygen is reduced (i.e., x is less than 2), to have a structure in which cylindrical carbon materials are entangled and interconnected in three dimensions; and sulfur introduced into at least a part of the external surface and inside of the titania-carbon (TiO.sub.2C) composite, and a method for preparing the same.

A titania-carbon-sulfur composite including a titania-carbon composite prepared by mixing cylindrical carbon materials and titania (TiO.sub.2-x), in which some oxygen is reduced (i.e., x is less than 2), to have a structure in which cylindrical carbon materials are entangled and interconnected in three dimensions; and sulfur introduced into at least a part of the external surface and inside of the titania-carbon (TiO.sub.2C) composite, and a method for preparing the same.

A method for manufacturing a sulfur-carbon composite including the following steps of: (a) drying a porous carbon material; and (b) adding sulfur to the porous carbon material resulting from the drying of step (a), and mixing the sulfur and porous carbon material by a ball milling process and then heating the resulting ball milled product.

The present invention provides an organic sulfur material comprising carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur as constituent elements, and having peaks in the vicinity of 480 cm.sup.1, 1250 cm.sup.1, 1440 cm.sup.1, and 1900 cm.sup.1 in a Raman spectrum detected by Raman spectroscopy. The peak in the vicinity of 1440 cm.sup.1 is the most intense peak. This organic sulfur material, which is produced by using a liquid organic starting material, achieves high capacity. This organic sulfur material preferably does not have peaks in the vicinity of 846 cm.sup.1 or 1066 cm.sup.1.

The present invention provides an organic sulfur material comprising carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur as constituent elements, and having peaks in the vicinity of 480 cm.sup.1, 1250 cm.sup.1, 1440 cm.sup.1, and 1900 cm.sup.1 in a Raman spectrum detected by Raman spectroscopy. The peak in the vicinity of 1440 cm.sup.1 is the most intense peak. This organic sulfur material, which is produced by using a liquid organic starting material, achieves high capacity. This organic sulfur material preferably does not have peaks in the vicinity of 846 cm.sup.1 or 1066 cm.sup.1.

A method for preparing a sulfur-carbon composite including: (a) stirring a porous carbon material in a solvent mixture including a carbonate-based compound and a volatile solvent and then drying; and (b) mixing the dried porous carbon material with sulfur and then depositing the sulfur in and on the porous carbon material by a heat melting method. A method for preparing a sulfur-carbon composite including: (a) mixing and stirring a porous carbon material and sulfur in a solvent mixture including a carbonate-based compound and a volatile solvent and then drying; and (b) depositing the sulfur in and on the porous carbon material by a heat melting method. In the sulfur-carbon composite, sulfur present in and on the porous carbon material, a proportion of -monoclinic sulfur phase to sulfur contained in the sulfur-carbon composite is 90% or more based on a total molar ratio of sulfur.

The invention relates to a method for producing a master batch comprising between 0.01 and 50 wt. % of carbonaceous nanofillers and at least one sulphurated material such as elemental sulphur by melt compounding, and to the master batch thus produced and the different uses thereof. The invention also relates to a solid composition comprising carbonaceous nanofillers dispersed in a sulphurated material.