Modification of interlayers with YCl3 for the suppression of shuttle effects in lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract

To reinforce the electrochemical properties of next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), modified interlayers emerge as a promising approach to suppress the polysulfide shuttling effect and improve cycle stability. This work presents a straightforward approach to produce a YCl3-doped carbonized cellulose paper (YCl3-CCP) as an interlayer, which has been demonstrated to significantly suppress the shuttle effect in LSBs. The synergistic effect of graphite and Y2O3 of the interlayer of YCl3-CCP can capture lithium polysulfides through strong absorption, thereby improving both cycle stability and coulombic efficiency. Herein, our results indicate that LSBs with interlayers of YCl3-CCP achieve a discharge capacity of 903 m Ah g−1 at 2 C, with a capacity retention of 77.3% over 500 cycles and an average capacity fading rate of 0.045% per cycle. Overall, this work provides a promising strategy for addressing the polysulfide shuttling effect in LSBs and opens up new avenues for further research in this area.