Regenerative Polysulfide-Scavenging Layers Enabling Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with High Energy Density and Prolonged Cycling Life.

Lithium-sulfur batteries, notable for high theoretical energy density, environmental benignity, and low cost, hold great potential for next-generation energy storage. Polysulfides, the intermediates generated during cycling, may shuttle between electrodes, compromising the energy density and cycling life. We report herein a class of regenerative polysulfide-scavenging layers (RSL), which effectively immobilize and regenerate polysulfides, especially for electrodes with high sulfur loadings (e.g., 6 mg cm-2). The resulting cells exhibit high gravimetric energy density of 365 Wh kg-1, initial areal capacity of 7.94 mAh cm-2, low self-discharge rate of 2.45% after resting for 3 days, and dramatically prolonged cycling life. Such blocking effects have been thoroughly investigated and correlated with the work functions of the oxides as well as their bond energies with polysulfides. This work offers not only a class of RSL to mitigate shuttling effect but also a quantified design framework for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries.