Anode‐Free Lithium–Sulfur Cells Enabled by Rationally Tuning Lithium Polysulfide Molecules

Abstract

AbstractThe two major barriers of practical lithium–sulfur batteries are the poor reversibility of lithium‐metal anode and sluggish kinetics of sulfur cathode. Here, we report a simple yet cogent, molecular tailoring approach for lithium polysulfides, enabling a synergistic enhancement of anode reversibility and cathode kinetics. We show that SnI4coordinates with lithium polysulfides to form soluble complexes, resulting in a Li2SnS3‐rich anode interphase layer. As Li2SnS3is stable against parasitic reactions and has a lower ionic resistance over cycling, the Li plating/stripping efficiency is greatly improved. In addition, the formation of soluble complexes between SnI4and lithium polysulfides play a non‐negligible role in suppressing the clustering behavior of lithium polysulfide molecules, resulting in a significant enhancement in sulfur conversion kinetics under lean electrolyte conditions. The synergistic improvement is validated in anode‐free, lean‐electrolyte pouch cells with a Li2S cathode that displays capacity retention of 78 % after 100 cycles.