Carbon Microspheres Research Articles

Carbon Gels-Green Graphene Composites as Metal-Free Bifunctional Electro-Fenton Catalysts.

The Electro-Fenton (EF) process has emerged as a promising technology for pollutant removal. However, the EF process requires the use of two catalysts: one acting as an electrocatalyst for the reduction of oxygen to H2O2 and another Fenton-type catalyst for the generation of ·OH radicals from H2O2. Thus, the search for materials with bifunctionality for both processes is required for a practical and real application of the EF process. Thus, in this work, bifunctional electrocatalysts were obtained via doping carbon microspheres with Eco-graphene, a form of graphene produced using eco-friendly methods. The incorporation of Eco-graphene offers numerous advantages to the catalysts, including enhanced conductivity, leading to more efficient electron transfer during the Electro-Fenton process. Additionally, the synthesis induced structural defects that serve as active sites, promoting the direct production of hydroxyl radicals via a 3-electron pathway. Furthermore, the spherical morphology of carbon xerogels enhances the accessibility of the reagents to the active sites. This combination of factors results in the effective degradation of Tetracycline (TTC) using metal-free catalysts in the Electro-Fenton process, achieving up to an impressive 83% degradation without requiring any other external or additional catalyst.

An efficient interfacial solar evaporator featuring a hierarchical porous structure entirely derived from waste cotton

Interfacial solar evaporators are widely used to purify water. However, photothermal materials commonly constituting most interfacial solar evaporators remain expensive; additionally, the inherent structure of the evaporators limits their performance. Furthermore, the large amount of waste cotton produced by the textile industry is an environmental threat. To address these issues, we propose an interfacial solar evaporator, H-CA-CS, with a hierarchical porous structure. This evaporator is made entirely of waste cotton and uses carbon microspheres (CMS) and cellulose aerogel (CA) as photothermal and substrate materials, respectively. Additionally, its photothermal layer (CS layer) has large pores and a high porosity, which promote light absorption and timely vapor escape. In contrast, the water transport layer (CA layer) has small pores, providing a robust capillary effect for water transport. Combined with the outstanding light absorption properties of CMS, H-CA-CS exhibited superior overall performance. We found that H-CA-CS has an excellent evaporation rate (1.68 kg m−2 h−1) and an efficiency of 90.6 % under one solar illumination (1 kW m−2), which are superior to those of many waste-based solar evaporators. Moreover, H-CA-CS maintained a mean evaporation rate of 1.61 kg m−2 h−1, ensuring sustainable evaporation performance under long-term scenarios. Additionally, H-CA-CS can be used to purify seawater and various types of wastewater with removal efficiencies exceeding 99 %. In conclusion, this study proposes a method for efficiently using waste cotton to purify water and provides novel ideas for the high-value use of other waste fibers to further mitigate ongoing environmental degradation.

Carbonized Syndiotactic Polystyrene/Carbon Nanotube/MXene Hybrid Aerogels with Egg-Box Structure: A Platform for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Solar Thermal Energy Management.

Functional materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding are a consistently hot topic in the booming communication engineering, proceeding the development that tends to the multifunctional EMI shielding materials. Herein, a series of carbonized syndiotactic polystyrene/carbon nanotube/MXene (CsPS/CNT/MXene) hybrid aerogels were fabricated for EMI shielding and solar thermal energy conversion purposes. To fabricate the hybrid aerogels, a porous CNT/MXene framework was initially prepared using freeze-casting. Subsequently, sPS was infused into the porous structure, followed by hyper-cross-linking and carbonization of sPS under an inert atmosphere. The resulting aerogels exhibited a distinctive egg-box structure, comprising numerous nanofibrous carbon microspheres embedded within the lamellar framework. The mass ratio between CNT and MXene was regulated to identify an optimum aerogel, that is, the CCM-4-6, which exhibited impressive properties including Young's compression modulus of 0.67 MPa, a water contact angle of 137.6 ± 4.1°, a specific surface area of 110 m2 g-1, an electrical conductivity of 43.0 S m-1, and an EMI SE value of 40 dB. Meanwhile, phase-change composites were fabricated through encapsulating paraffin wax within the hybrid aerogels. For the CCM-4-6 aerogel, a noteworthy encapsulation ratio was achieved at about 76.7%, along with remarkable latent heat, good thermal reliability, and commendable solar thermal energy conversion capacity. This study presents a facile route to prepare multifunctional EMI shielding materials.

A "Win-Win" Strategy to Modify Co/C Foam with Carbon Microspheres for Enhanced Dielectric Loss and Microwave Absorption Characteristics.

3D carbon foams have demonstrated their superiority in the field of microwave absorption recently, but the preparation processes of traditional graphene foams are complicated, while some novel carbon foams usually suffer from inadequate dielectric property. Herein, a simple "win-win" strategy is demonstrated to synchronously realize the construction of 3D Co/C foam and its surface decoration with carbon microspheres. Therein, the host Co/C foams and guest carbon microspheres interact with each other, resulting in the improvement of the dispersity of carbon microspheres and Co nanoparticles. The bilaterally synergistic effect can effectively enhance the interfacial polarization and conductive loss of these obtained samples. Electromagnetic analysis reveals that the optimized sample with moderate carbon microsphere content (about 33.5 wt%) displays a widened maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 5.2GHz and a consolidated reflection loss intensity of -67.6dB. Besides, the microwave absorption enhancement mechanisms are investigated and discussed in detail. It is believed that this work provides valuable ideas for the development of 3D-foam-based microwave absorbing materials for practical applications.

Silver nanoparticles deposited carbon microspheres nanozyme with enhanced peroxidase-like catalysis for colorimetric detection of Hg2+ in seafood.

Novel methods for high-performance detection of Hg2+ in seafood are critical for ensuring food safety and human health. Herein, Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully deposited on carbon microspheres (CMs) to form Ag NPs-CMs nanocomplex. The proposed Ag NPs-CMs could oxidize colorless 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue oxidation state TMB (oxTMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and had a significant UV-vis absorption peak at 652 nm. The excellent peroxidase-like activity was attributed to the increased electrostatic attraction of CMs and the catalytic synergistic effect. After adding Hg2+, the catalytic activity of Ag NPs-CMs was specifically enhanced and the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) decreased from 0.067 to 0.052 mmol/L due to the formation of Ag-Hg amalgam which produced more superoxide anions (O2•-) and hydroxyl radicals (•OH). The linear response ranges for Hg2+ were 2~833 nmol/L and 2.5~40 μmol/L, with the low detection limit of 1.10 nmol/L. This method was applied to detect Hg2+ in seafood with satisfactory recoveries of 95.65~106.56%. A hydrogel kit was designed for portable detection of Hg2+, and the response range was 0.5~5 μmol/L. This work provides a reliable method for visual Hg2+ detection in seafood as well as a feasible strategy for the design of high-performance nanozymes.

Synthesis of magnetic Cu-Fe3O4/carbon composite microspheres with excellent catalytic and antibacterial properties

Recently, metal nanoparticles supported on porous carbon microspheres have been attracted increasing attention from researchers worldwide. In this study, magnetically separable Cu nanoparticle-loaded porous Fe3O4/carbon microspheres (Cu-Fe3O4/C) were synthesized by combining one-step electrostatic droplets method with the impregnation adsorption and high-temperature carbonization approach. The structural properties of the as-prepared composite microspheres were systematically characterized. The results reveal a homogeneously distribution of the Cu and Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the carbon microspheres, which have an average diameter around 0.48 mm. In addition, the catalytic activity of the Cu-Fe3O4/C composite for selective reduction of 4-nitrophenol was investigated, and a high conversion of ca. 95 % was achieved within 30 min using the highly stable composite catalyst. Furthermore, in antibacterial tests, Cu-Fe3O4/C also showed significant suppression effects on bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). These results demonstrate the high potential of the Cu-Fe3O4/C composite microspheres for catalytic and antibacterial applications.

Screening Study of Different Carbon-Based Materials for Hydrogen Storage

In this study, the hydrogen uptake of five carbon-based materials; graphite flakes (GF), graphene oxide (GO), graphene, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), activated carbon, mesoporous carbon and carbon microspheres (CMS) was explored. The characteristic techniques used to confirm the materials included Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Nitrogen adsorption isotherms, BET surface area and pore size distributions were measured at liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). The hydrogen storage capacity was studied at constant temperature, 77 K and pressure from ambient pressure up to 1 bar. This study found that mesoporous carbon had the highest percentage of hydrogen uptake (18%), while activated carbon had the lowest percentage of hydrogen uptake (2%).

Sulfonic acid-type hydrothermal carbon microspheres as stable, efficient catalysts for transesterification reactions

With the aim of preparing a sulfonic acid-type solid acid catalyst having a high density of acid sites and excellent stability, this work synthesized sulfonic acid bowl-shaped hydrothermal carbon microspheres (SA-OBHCs), using amine groups as the primary sulfonic acid bonding sites. This material was synthesized via a three-step functionalization process comprising the oxidation, amidation and sulfonation of BHCs. The extent to which chlorosulfonic acid reacted with amine groups in diethylenetriamine molecules on microsphere surfaces was also investigated using density functional theory calculations. These calculations showed that the substitution reaction of primary amines proceeded less readily than that of secondary amines but provided a more stable product. The surface acid density of the SA-OBHCs was as high as 11.2 mmol·g−1 and the –SO3H groups on the SA-OBHCs were found to be thermally stable up to 200 °C. These SA-OBHCs were subsequently used to catalyze the synthesis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from a waste frying oil model compound and methanol. Reactions performed using a methanol/oil molar ratio of 20:1 at 140 °C for 3 h gave a FAMEs yield of 93.4 %. After four reuses, an SA-OBHCs specimen provided a FAMEs yield of 77.5 %, demonstrating the significant stability of this material.

Efficient electrocatalytic two-electron oxygen reduction over aminophenol formaldehyde resin-derived carbon microspheres

The electrocatalytic 2-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e-ORR) to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) required cheap and efficient electrocatalytic materials. Herein cheap 3-aminophenol formaldehyde resin microspheres were synthesized at a large scale of about 15 g in one run. By annealing it, nitrogen-doped carbon spheres could be conveniently obtained, which was found to be efficient electrocatalyst for 2e-ORR with the highest H2O2 selectivity of about 94% at 0.4 V vs RHE. The electrolysis H2O2 production rate over N-doped carbon in 0.1 M KOH solution reached 48 mmol gcat-1h−1. Aminophenol formaldehyde resin-derived carbon provided a cheap and effective catalyst for electrocatalytic H2O2 production.

Preparation of Double‐Layer Hollow Porous Carbon Microspheres by a Hydrothermal Method

AbstractDouble‐layer hollow porous carbon microspheres (DPCMs) with high specific surface area (up to 57.3 m2/g) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using sucrose as the carbon source, SnCl4 ⋅ 5H2O as the porogen, and sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium polyacrylate as the anionic surfactant and dispersant, respectively. The thickness and morphology of the inner and outer layers of the DPCMs (spherical, bowl‐like, mushroom‐like, or ellipsoidal) could be adjusted by changing the hydrothermal conditions. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR) showed that the surface of the DPCMs was rich in −OH and −COOH functional groups, which was beneficial for subsequent chemical modification of the DPCMs. Because the prepared DPCM had a reactive surface layer and a stable carbonaceous double‐layer structure, the material could be used in supercapacitors and biochemistry, and as catalyst carriers, adsorption materials, and electrode materials, among other applications.

Synthesis and Properties of Carbon Microspheres from Waste Office Paper.

As a kind of biomass resource, waste office paper can be used as a carbon precursor to prepare carbon materials. In this work, carbon microspheres with regular shape, uniform particle size and high carbon content were successfully prepared from waste office paper via a hydrothermal synthesis method with sulfuric acid as the catalyst. The effects of reaction temperature and sulfuric acid dosage on the morphology of the carbon microspheres were studied. The formation mechanism of the carbon microspheres was investigated by analyzing the structure and composition of the products. The results show that the hydrolysis of cellulose in waste paper under hydrothermal conditions was the key for the formation of carbon microspheres. The temperature of hydrothermal reaction and the use of sulfuric acid can affect the morphology of carbon microspheres. The carbon microspheres synthesized at 210 °C with 10 mL sulfuric acid have the best surface morphology, with uniform particle size and higher dispersion. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy show that the carbon microspheres have good capacitance performance and can be used in capacitors. This study provides a low-cost precursor for carbon microspheres as well as a new method for the recycle of waste paper.

One-step synthesis of cobalt nanosheets depositing with carbon microsphere by microwave plasma assisted reduction chemical vapor deposition technique against electromagnetic pollution

The rational design of magnetic carbon composites in both composition and microstructure has significant potential for acquiring excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing materials (EAMs). In this study, Co@carbon magnetic composites were prepared by employing a novel microwave plasma assisted reduction chemical vapor deposition (MPARCVD) technique, which was highly efficient, low-cost, and energy-saving. The depositing of graphitized carbon microspheres on the surface of Co nanosheets could enrich the available loss mechanisms. Furthermore, the lamelliform morphology with a large aspect ratio of the composites was beneficial to subtly improve the dielectric properties under a low filler content. As a consequence, the minimum RL reached up to −65.7 dB and the radar cross-sectional area reduction attained to 22.3 dBm 2 with only 20 wt% loading content. The MARCVD technology opened a novel strategy and avenue for acquiring magnetic carbon composites as candidates for lightweight and high-performance EAMs.

In-situ embedding of ultrasmall MnO nanoparticles into pollen biomass-derived hollow porous N heteroatoms enriched carbon microspheres as high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

The transition manganese monoxide (MnO) is investigated as the one of the most promising candidates of anode nanomaterials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its irreplaceable advantages of higher theoretical capacity, restricted voltage hysteresis and favorable electrochemical kinetics. Nevertheless, it still remains a big challenge to simultaneously resolve the nonideal properties of the relatively low dispersion of MnO, the structural metastability as well as the undesirable permeability of electrolyte. Herein, the ultrasmall MnO nanoparticles/sulfuric-acid-pretreated camellia pollen carbon (MnO/SCPC) composites are successfully fabricated by a facile bio-templating method of carbonization hydrolysis of camellia pollen, wet-impregnation treatment of Mn/SCPC precursor and followed by thermal annealing, which delivers hollow porous microspheres structure where the shell components are formed by orderly stacking of multiple ultrasmall-size MnO-loaded nanocarbon spheres. This advantageous nano-structures not only allow for a large volume change during the lithiation/delithiation process, a large accessible contact area with electrolyte and a short transport path for Li+ ions, but also enhance the amounts of electrochemically active sites while simultaneously endow them with a superior structural stability through robust interfacial interaction. These clever designs enable the MnO/SCPC composites to perform exceptionally well electrochemically. More specifically, the MnO/SCPC-600 anode possesses a high initial discharge capacity (1490 mAh·g−1) at a current density of 0.1 A·g−1, and still retains 60% of the initial capacity (894 mAh·g−1) after 100 cycles. Besides, it also exhibits a high discharge capacity of 612 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 2.0 A·g−1 and an ultralong cycling life of 584 mAh·g−1 at 1.0 A·g−1 for long period of 1000 cycles. This work also paves up a facile direction for the application of MnO/biomass-derived carbonaceous nanomaterials in LIBs.

A novel composite hard carbon from waste Camellia oleifera shell modified by phenol-formaldehyde resin for supercapacitor electrode with high specific capacitance

The lower specific capacitance of biochar electrode material limits its practical application. Therefore, this study attempts to develop a novel supercapacitor biochar electrode material with high specific capacitance from waste camellia oleifera shell (COS). COS shell powder was pre-impregnated with phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin then carbonization-KOH activation. An orthogonal experiment (L9(33)) was designed to explore the influence of mass mixing ratio of PF/COS, activation time, and temperature on the electrochemical property of COS-based biochar. The optimal process parameters were: 800 °C, 1 h and mass mixing ratio of 5:1. Compared with c. oleifera shell-activated carbon (COS-AC) and phenol-formaldehyde-activated carbon (PF-AC) controls, the phenol-formaldehyde modified c. oleifera shell-activated carbon (PMC-AC) exhibited micro-morphology of carbon microspheres and a three-dimensional network pore. The internal orientation of PMC-AC tended to be disordered, and had a superior specific surface area of 3037.68 m2 g−1 and total pore volume of 1.7 cm3 g−1. Electrochemical tests used PMC-AC as the negative electrode, with high specific capacitance (375.9 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), good rate property (49.3 % of capacitance retention at 0.5–10 A g−1), and charging/discharging stability. It is supposed that it was a convenient and feasible way to modify biochar into high-quality hard carbon for supercapacitors.

Boosted sustained-release with iron-based MOF-derived mesoporous-carbon-spheres as a nitroimidazole drugs carrier

Metal-organic framework (MOF) with a buildable internal structure has aroused great interest focus as self-sacrificing precursors of porous carbon (PC). However, as a drug carrier, the MOF-derived PC developed thus far are generally composed of irregular powder shape due to their crystalline nature, which consequently causing the cerebral infarction, cerebral thrombosis, and other blood diseases. In this article, we propose a novel approach to constructing amorphous carbon microspheres (ACMs) by distorting the topological network through hydrothermal treatment precursors of MIL-101(Fe). Then, a distinctive MIL-101(Fe)-derived spherical porous carbons (MSPC) is achieved through high temperature calcination toward ACMs. Effects of the glucose initial concentration and hydrothermal treatment time on the sphericity of the as-prepared mesoporous MSPC were investigated in depth. And the loading capacities and sustained-release performances of nitroimidazole drugs over MSPC through simulation internal environment of human body at different pH values was systematically evaluated. The nitroimidazole drugs loading rate and release time of MSPC are 10% and 17 h under preferred process. Furthermore, the MSPC exhibited very low toxicity on Hela cells and 293T cells at the concentrations tested (10–800 μg mL−1). This study, therefore, supports the potential of the mesoporous carbon spheres as a carrier for nitroimidazole drug delivery.

Enhanced Adsorption of Methylene Blue Using Phosphoric Acid-Activated Hydrothermal Carbon Microspheres Synthesized from a Variety of Palm-Based Biowastes

In the present study, the ability for novel carbon microspheres (CMs) derived from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) biomass using a hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process and activated using phosphoric acid to remove methylene blue dye was investigated. Three types of palm-based wastes (seeds, leaflet, and inedible crystallized date palm molasses) were used and converted to CMs via the HTC process. The prepared samples were then activated using phosphoric acid via the incipient wetness impregnation method. The CMs samples before and after activation were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental analysis and scanning (CHNS), and the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) methods. The samples exhibited high BET surface areas after activation (1584 m2/g). The methylene blue adsorption results showed good fitting to the Langmuir, Fruendlich, and Temkin isotherm models for all activated samples. The maximum adsorption capacity achieved was 409.84 mg/g for activated CM obtained from the palm date molasses, indicating its high potential for application as a dye-based adsorption material.

Properties of fluorescent chiral carbon microspheres and nanodots synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method

Fluorescent carbon microspheres (CMSs) and carbon nanodots (CNDs) synthesized together in one pot have received much attention in the past decade. Here we report the use of L- and D-ascorbic acids (AA) to prepare CMSs with different chirality and CNDs with different fluorescent emission by the hydrothermal method. The CMSs emit a blue light while the CNDs emit a green one under 365 nm UV light. The reaction conversions of CMSs prepared with this method are over 25% when the reaction temperature is above 180°C. Circular dichroism, specific rotation, and photoluminescence of CMSs were measured. The analyses show that the L- and D-AA-based CMSs exhibit different chiral spectra. The graphene-like structures of CMSs are revealed by Raman spectroscopy. A possible formation mechanism of the CMSs and CNSs is proposed. In addition, the CMSs after calcination were found to achieve higher electrical and thermal conductivities comparable to those of the commercial carbon black. Photoluminescence analyses of CNDs show that the relative fluctuation between the blue and green emissions determines the shifting of blue and green hybrid color of the synthesized CNDs. D-AA derived CNDs show a higher quantum yield (QY) close to 1% and a stronger green emission. The blue-emitting CNDs and the green-emitting ones could be separated with the larger green CNDs kept inside the dialysis tube.

Lubrication mechanisms of dispersed carbon microspheres in boundary through hydrodynamic lubrication regimes

HypothesisCarbon microspheres have been shown to reduce friction and surface wear at relatively low speeds and high applied loads (i.e., within the boundary lubrication regime). We hypothesize that in dilute colloidal lubricating systems there is an interplay between the size of the carbon microspheres and the lubrication gap size, which determines the dominant lubricating mechanism of the system. ExperimentsA 60 wt% aqueous glycerol solution was used as the base lubricant and compared to various carbon particle-based lubricant formulations ranging in particle concentrations from 0.05 to 0.30 vol%. The tribological properties of the various lubricant formulations were tested on a pin-on-disk tribometer. A simplified Stribeck plot was produced to understand the changing mechanism of lubrication over a wide range of conditions. FindingsThe Stribeck curves show that the carbon microspheres assist lubrication by a rolling mechanism primarily in the boundary lubrication regime. A 0.20 vol% carbon-based lubricant formulation showed the best friction reduction compared to the base lubricant. Increasing speed increases the lubricating gap between the friction pair beyond the size of the particles, thereby nullifying the rolling mechanism of the particles. We introduce a modified specific film thickness parameter to determine the lubrication regime in a particle-lubricant system.

Low-temperature hydrothermal carbonization of activated carbon microsphere derived from microcrystalline cellulose as carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorbent

Activated carbon material produced by the low-temperature hydrothermal processes was needed to further decrease the production cost of CO2 adsorbent materials. In this study, we fabricated cellulose hydrochar microspheres (CHM) materials with a relatively low hydrothermal temperature (200 °C) with prolonged hydrothermal reaction time (48 h) using microcrystalline cellulose as a feedstock. The CHM is then further activated using a thermal and chemical agent. The activated carbon microsphere was then characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area (SBET) of the thermal activation (ACS) activated carbon was enhanced significantly with further chemical activation with KOH and NaOH, from 589 m2/g to 1334 m2/g and 2296 m2/g, respectively. Moreover, CHONS elemental analysis suggests that the chemical activation process enhances the surface functional group. Increasing textural properties and enrichment of the functional group of the ACS-NaOH and ACS-KOH samples gave a CO2 adsorption capacity up to 7.07 mmol/g after 300 min of contact. This finding enables the possibility of producing cellulose hydrochar microspheres using a low hydrothermal temperature that can be further activated to become CO2 adsorbent materials with great CO2 capture capabilities.

Sulfur-doped hollow C@CoP nanosphere modified separator for enhancing polysulfides anchoring and conversion in Li–S batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) battery with high theoretical energy density is recognized as a promising energy storage device, while its commercial applications are still hampered by the severe shuttling effect and sluggish kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Heteroatoms doping, which can adjust the electronic configuration and regulate the adsorption and catalytic properties, is realized as an effective strategy to solve the above problems. Herein, sulfur-doped CoP nanoparticles embedded in hollow carbon microspheres (C@S–CoP) is designed and employed as the modification material for separator. The introduction of sulfur atom into CoP leads to enhanced chemisorption for LiPSs and favorable conversion kinetics of sulfur species. In addition, the hollow porous structure of C@S–CoP is beneficial to the penetration of electrolyte and the alleviation of the sulfur species expansion during cycles. Theoretical calculation is further utilized to elucidate the enhanced mechanisms of S–CoP in Li–S chemistry at molecular level. The cell with C@S–CoP-separator delivers a superior rate performance of 761 mAh g−1 at 5C and excellent cyclability over 400 cycles at 2C with a low-capacity decay rate of 0.060%. This work furnishes a feasible strategy to boost the electrochemical performance and promotes the development of functional separators for highly efficient Li–S battery.