Enabling prominent high-rate and cycle performances in one lithium-sulfur battery: designing permselective gateways for Li(+) transportation in Holey-CNT/S cathodes.

A cathode material composed of h-CNT/S/ZrO2 is developed for lithium-sulfur batteries. By incorporating ZrO2 into the S-incorporated h-CNT, permselective gateways for free Li(+) transportation can be assembled at the mesopore openings, which deny the penetration of lithium polysulfides. At the ultrahigh rate of 10 C, the discharge capacity averages to be 870 mA h g(-1) within 200 cycles.