Dissolution Of Polysulfides Research Articles

Advances and challenges in tuning the reversibility & cyclability of room temperature sodium–sulfur and potassium–sulfur batteries with catalytic materials

The high theoretical energy density of room temperature sodium-sulfur and potassium-sulfur batteries (Na–S; 1274 Wh/kg, K–S; 914 Wh/kg; based on the mass of sulfur) due to the multi-electron transfer associated with the unique conversion chemistry of S and the natural abundance of Na, K, and S raw materials make them ideal candidates for large-scale energy storage applications beyond Li batteries. However, achieving good reversibility, cyclability, and active material utilization in Na–S and K–S batteries demands alleviation of the complex polysulfide dissolution and the shuttle phenomena during cycling. Rational employment of catalytic materials is beneficial to address these issues by facilitating effective polysulfide transformation and thereby accelerating the sluggish reaction kinetics. This review focuses on the roles and evolution of catalytic materials in polysulfide adsorption, catalytic conversion, and redox mediation in facilitating high-performing Na–S and K–S batteries. Specifically, the advances in tuning the reversibility and cyclability of Na-S and K–S batteries strategically with catalytic material-incorporated S-host cathodes, separators, and interlayers and the interaction of various catalytic materials with the polysulfide species are discussed in the light of advanced characterization techniques. Lastly, the challenges and the plausible strategies for future research are elucidated.

Entrapment of polysulfides by a BiFeO3/TiO2 heterogeneous structure on separator for high-performance Li–S batteries

Owing to the environmental friendliness, high specific energy, high theoretical capacity, and low cost, lithium-sulfur (Li–S) battery has drawn great attention as the next-generation device. However, the poor conductivity of the sulfur and lithium sulfides, large volumetric expansion of S to Li2S after lithiation, and the dissolution of lithium polysulfides in electrolyte, lead to low specific capacity, high cyclic capacity loss, and bad cycle performance. Here, we propose a heterojunction structure of multiferroic BiFeO3 anchored on hollow spheric TiO2 coated on Celgard separator to overcome the “shuttle effect” of dissolved intermediate polysulfides, improving poor conductivity of S and its discharge products Li2S2/Li2S, and inhibiting lithium dendrites. The multiferroic BiFeO3 provides a spontaneous polarization to trap polysulfides, and hollow spheric TiO2 divides a large surface area for sulfur expansion and improves the poor conductivity of S and BiFeO3 simultaneously. As a result, the discharge capacity remained at 754 mAh g−1 with coulombic efficiency over 99.2% and 83.7% retention of the initial specific capacity after 800 cycles at 1.0C.

Constructing FeS2/TiO2 p-n heterostructure encapsulated in one-dimensional carbon nanofibers for achieving highly stable sodium-ion battery

Iron sulfides (FeS2) is a promising anode material for advanced sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity of 894.0 mAh/g and abundant natural resource. However, the inferior electronic conductivity, huge volume expansion, and dissolution of sodium polysulfides generated upon conversion reaction process limit its practical application in SIBs. Although the introduction of carbon materials could significantly compensate for conductivity and structural destroy, but the poor cycling stability aroused by active sulfide loss still urgently settled. Herein, TiO2 featuring strong affinity for sodium polysulfides was engaged as one active component to construct FeS2/TiO2 heterostructure. Additionally, TiO2 is a typical n-type semiconductor with a broad bandgap, which will induce the formation of a strong built-in electric field at the interface of FeS2/TiO2 and thus expedite the charge transport during sodium storage process. Consequently, FeS2/TiO2 p-n heterostructure nanoparticles encapsulated in one dimensional carbon nanofibers (FeS2/TiO2@CNFs) were synthesized by simple electrospinning technology and subsequent carbonization/sulfidation treatment, as well as systemically investigated its electrochemical performance as an anode material for SIBs. As expected, FeS2/TiO2@CNFs anode delivers a high specific capacity of 563.1 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 over 100 cycles, and superior rate capability (404.0 mAh g-1 at 10.0 A g-1). Even after 8000 cycles at 10.0 A g-1, FeS2/TiO2@CNFs anode still exhibits superior cycling durability. Inspired by the admirable sodium storage performance of FeS2/TiO2@CNFs heterostructure, the architectural design strategy is expected to be widely adopted for meliorating the electrochemical performance of metal sulfide anodes.

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Wrapped Novel CoIn2S4 Spinel Composite Anode Materials for Li-ion Batteries.

In this study, we proposed a novel CoIn2S4/reduced graphene oxide (CoIn2S4/rGO) composite anode using a hydrothermal method. By introducing electronic-conductive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to buffer the extreme volume expansion of CoIn2S4, we prevented its polysulfide dissolution during the lithiation/de-lithiation processes. After 100 cycles, the pristine CoIn2S4 electrode demonstrated poor cycle performance of only 120 mAh/g at a current density of 0.1 A/g. However, the composition-optimized CoIn2S4/rGO composite anode demonstrated a reversible capacity of 580 mAh/g for 100 cycles, which was an improvement of 4.83 times. In addition, the ex situ XRD measurements of the CoIn2S4/rGO electrode were conducted to determine the reaction mechanism and electrochemical behavior. These results suggest that the as-synthesized CoIn2S4/rGO composite anode is a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries.

Phosphorus modulated porous CeO2 nanocrystallines for accelerated polysulfide catalysis in advanced Li-S batteries

• Phosphorus modulated porous cerium oxide (P-CeO 2 ) nanocrystallines was constructed through a fine phosphorization for advanced LSBs. • P-CeO 2 cathode present stronger adsorption of Li 2 S 6 , faster oxidation-reduction kinetics of LiPS, and quicker diffusion of Li + ions than the bare CeO 2 , thus exhibited an improved initial capacity and stable cycling behavior. • P-modulation of metal oxide surface can simultaneously promote the catalytic reaction kinetics and chemical interaction of LiPS. The insulating nature of sulfur species, sluggish reaction kinetics, and uncontrolled dissolution of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) intermediates during the complex and multiphase sulfur redox process, have severely inhibited the applications of Li-S batteries. In this study, we report a rational strategy to accelerate the polysulfide catalysis via constructing phosphorus modulated porous CeO 2 (P-CeO 2 ) for advanced Li-S batteries. The morphology and surface analysis demonstrate that the P-CeO 2 consists of abundant P-modulated porous CeO 2 nanocrystallines. The battery performance reveals that the introduction of P will lead to an improved initial capacity of 1027 mA h g −1 than that of bare CeO 2 (895.7 mA h g −1 ) at 0.2 C. In addition, the P-CeO 2 cathode can maintain a low capacity decay ratio of 0.10% per cycle after 500 cycles at 1.0 C. The coin battery tests suggest that the P-CeO 2 cathode presents faster oxidation-reduction kinetics of LiPS and quick diffusion of Li + ions. Meanwhile, the studies of redox processes and chemical interactions of LiPS have demonstrated the P-CeO 2 cathode displays stronger adsorption of Li 2 S 6 , higher redox peak current, and earlier precipitation of Li 2 S than the bare CeO 2 . This study demonstrates for the first time that the P-modulation of metal oxide surface can simultaneously promote the catalytic reaction kinetics and chemical interaction of LiPS. We anticipate that this P-modulation method can be extended to many other nanostructured metal catalytic sites for developing affordable advanced Li-S batteries.

Porosity vs carbon shell number: Key factor actually affecting the performance of multi-shelled hollow carbon nanospheres in Li-S batteries

• The pores in the carbon shells of HCNs play a key role in the Li + diffusion and Li 2 S x confinement. • Simply increasing the shell number in HCNs can not effectively confine the leakage of Li 2 S x from the S cathode. • Porous 1S-HCNs endow the S cathode with better cycling stability and rate capability than the oligoporous 2S-HCNs and 3S-HCNs do. • After 700 cycles, a capacity of 759 mAh g -1 with 63% retention is achieved for the S@1S-HCNs cathode at 0.2 C. As a type of sulfur host for lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNs) are of particular interest due to their high electrical conductivity, available cavities, and unique morphology. However, there is a lack of in-depth study about the pivotal factors affecting their performance in LSBs. Herein, a series of multi-shelled HCNs have been prepared by a template-free method and the corresponding sulfur cathodes have been systematically investigated. A positive dependence of electrochemical properties on the specific surface area and pore volume of HCNs is confirmed. In case of low porosity of carbon shell, increasing the shell numbers in HCNs could not accelerate the Li + diffusion and restrict the dissolution of lithium polysulfide in the S@HCNs cathode. As a result, the highly porous 1S-HCNs endow the sulfur cathode with better cycling stability and rate performance than the oligoporous 2S-HCNs and 3S-HCNs do. This work may not only provide a useful reference in the design of novel sulfur hosts but also shed a light on the understanding of the complicated mechanism behind the sulfur redox reactions.

Waxberry‐Shaped Ordered Mesoporous P‐TiO2−x Microspheres as High‐Performance Cathodes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

As a candidate for a new generation of inexpensive and high‐performance energy storage systems, lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted widespread research. However, the development and application of Li–S batteries are limited by severe polysulfide dissolution and slow reaction kinetics. Herein, a type of ordered mesoporous P‐TiO2−x microsphere with a waxberry‐like shape as the sulfur host material for Li–S batteries is put forward, which combines the radially arranged mesoporous structure with oxygen defects in the mesoporous framework. In addition, the introduction of phosphorus impurities greatly improves the conductivity of the sulfur electrode, enhances electron mobility, and promotes the interaction between the sulfur species and P‐TiO2−x microspheres. Finally, S/P‐TiO2−x cathodes have achieved a high capacity of 1174.9 mAh g−1 at 0.2C and stable cycling (the average capacity attenuation is only 0.086% per cycle at 1C after 600 cycles).

Dynamic Multistage Coupling of FeS2/S Enables Ultrahigh Reversible Na–S Batteries

AbstractThe fundamental challenges that coexisted around sulfur cathode energy storage systems, are the severe polysulfide dissolution and low reactivity resulting in poor reversibility and short cycle life, specifically, in inexpensive sodium ion batteries. Herein, the solution‐processed synthesis of ultra‐high intimate contacted FeS2/S architecture is reported and evolution of the dynamic multistage coupling between the FeS2 and S in sodium–sulfur batteries is revealed. Atomic visualization and in situ spectroscopy conclude that: NaxFeS2 (0 <x ≤1) effectively captures sodium polysulfides and promotes the conversion of S8 to Na2S4 to Na2S2/Na2S; simultaneously, the presence of Na2S2/Na2S traps the continuous growth of iron grains during continuously discharging to 0.4 V, thereby boosting the reversibility and high capacity. Moreover, the density functional theory further analyses the unique coupling effect of Na2Sx with different intermediate states of FeS2. The electrode with unique structure and dynamic coupling exhibits outstanding cycle reversibility and extremely long life, which delivers a reversible capacity of 860 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles with no capacity decay at 0.5 A g−1. Even under a practical areal capacity of 4 mAh cm−2, it still shows pretty‐well cycling stability.

Silicon-protected, vertically grown MoS2 nanosheets for high-performance thin-film Li-ion batteries

Silicon-coated molybdenum sulfide nanosheets were prepared in a thin-film shape (Si–MoS2 TFs) through metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and radio frequency (RF) sputtering. By using MOCVD, the MoS2 thin films composed of nanosheets were vertically grown on stainless steel substrates. To address the problem of polysulfide dissolution and shuttling effect of MoS2 during discharge and charge reactions in thin-film Li-ion batteries, the entire surfaces of MoS2 TFs were covered with silicon layers using RF sputtering. Compared with pristine MoS2 TFs without protection, the Si–MoS2 TFs showed excellent reversibility with a high capacity of ∼2000 mAh g−1 for 500 cycles in thin-film Li-ion batteries. Both materials – MoS2 and Si – were synergistically taken into account to enhance the ability to store Li ions in the host structures and complement each other during repeated conversion and alloying reactions. The underlying reaction principle was elucidated, which provides insight into developing MoS2-based thin-film cathodes.

Flexible 2D Boron Imidazolate Framework for Polysulfide Adsorption in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

The “polysulfide shuttle,” a process initiated by the dissolution of polysulfides, is recognized to be one of the major failure mechanisms of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Much research effort has been dedicated toward efficient cathode additives and host materials to suppress the leaching of polysulfide species. Herein, we report a new 2D metal–organic framework constituted by a tritopic ligand, boron imidazolate ([BH(Im)3]−, Im = imidazole), and Co2+ ions for lithium polysulfide adsorption. The cobalt imidazolate framework (CoN6-BIF) contains octahedrally coordinated Co centers that form two-dimensional layers in the a,b plane. Composite cathodes containing CoN6-BIF exhibited high sulfur utilization and capacity retention, resulting in improved specific capacity and cycle life compared to sulfur/carbon controls. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that CoN6-BIF linkers are rotationally flexible, allowing the framework to accommodate polysulfide in the expanded pores. This unusual property of BIFs opens up new avenues for exploring flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and their applications to energy storage.

Pinned Electrode/Electrolyte Interphase and Its Formation Origin for Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile Cathode in Stable Lithium Batteries.

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) represents one of the most promising directions for high-energy-density lithium (Li)-sulfur batteries. However, the practical application of Li||SPAN is currently limited by the insufficient chemical/electrochemical stability of electrode/electrolyte interphase (EEI). Here, a pinned EEI layer is designed for stabilizing a SPAN cathode by regulating the EEI formation mechanism in an advanced LiFSI/ether/fluorinated-ether electrolyte. Computational simulations and experimental investigations reveal that, benefiting from the nonsolvating nature, the fluorinated-ether can not only act as a protective shield to prevent the Li polysulfides dissolution but also, more importantly, endow a diffusion-controlled EEI formation process. It promotes the formation of a uniform, protective, and conductive EEI layer pinning into SPAN surface region, enabling the high loading Li||SPAN batteries with superior cycling stability, wide temperature performance, and high-rate capability. This design strategy opens an avenue for exploring advanced electrolytes for Li||SPAN batteries and guides the interface design for broad types of battery systems.

Hydrofluoroether Diluted Dual-Salts-Based Electrolytes for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with Enhanced Lithium Anode Protection.

With a high energy density, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSB) are regarded as one of the promising next-generation energy storage systems. However, many challenges hinder the practical applications of LSB, such as the dendrite formations/parasitic reactions on the Li metal anode and the "shuttle effect" of lithium polysulfides of the LSB cathode. Herein, a novel diluted medium-concentrated electrolyte (DMCE) is developed by adding 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethyl 2,2,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (TTE) into a dual salt medium-concentrated electrolyte (MCE) consisting of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)-lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)/tetrahydrofuran (THF)-dipropyl ether (DPE). The optimized DMCE electrolyte is capable of protecting the Li metal anode and suppresses the dissolution of polysulfides and the "shuttle effect", delivering a high coulombic efficiency (CE) of Li plating-stripping up to 99.6% even at a low concentration of Li salt (1.0-2.0m). Impressively, compared with the cells cycled in the MCE electrolyte, the LiS cells with the DMCE-2.0m electrolyte have delivered an enhanced initial capacity of 682 mAh g-1 with an excellent capacity retention of 92% for 500 cycles. This strategy of using fluorinated ether as diluent solvent in a medium-concentrated electrolyte can accelerate the commercialization of LSB.

Homonuclear transition-metal dimers embedded monolayer C2N as promising anchoring and electrocatalytic materials for lithium-sulfur battery: First-principles calculations

The practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are greatly impeded by several bottlenecks, such as the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and the poor conversion efficiency during discharging/charging processes. To handle these issues, we construct homonuclear transition-metal dimers embedded in monolayer C2N (TM2@C2N, TM = Cu, V, Co, Fe, and Ni) structures and comprehensively explore their potential as anchoring and electrocatalytic materials in Li-S battery by using first-principles calculations. It is found that the TM2@C2N have excellent anchoring ability for LiPSs with moderate adsorption energy, which can effectively suppress the shuttle effect. The introduction of TM dimer in monolayer C2N can reduce the free energy of sulfur reduction reaction to 1.22–1.46 eV and decrease the decomposition energy barriers of electrochemical conversions to 0.82–1.29 eV, which makes the high activity to the catalytic conversion and the enhanced catalytic conversion efficiency in the discharging/charging processes. This work not only reveals that the TM2@C2N can serve as electrocatalysts to facilitate the adsorption for LiPSs and the catalytic conversion of the high-performance Li-S battery, but also provides a guidance for the homonuclear dual-atom catalysts design in Li-S battery.

Boosting Adsorption and Catalysis of Polysulfides by Multifunctional Separator for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered promising energy storage technologies due to their high energy density and environmental friendliness. However, the unsatisfactory electrochemical performance mainly caused by dissolution and shuttling of polysulfides limits their application. Herein, a multifunctional separator, i.e., the sodium alginate (SA) fiber membrane with in situ loading of ZIF-67 attached on the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix (ZIF-67/SA-PAN), is developed for Li–S batteries. On the basis of the synergistic adsorption and catalytic effect, ZIF-67/SA-PAN can inhibit the shuttling of polysulfides and promote fast transformation of the intercepted polysulfides, as revealed by in situ characterization and theoretical calculations. The ZIF-67/SA-PAN separator endows Li–S batteries with high reversible capacity (e.g., 797.4 mAh g–1 with a high sulfur loading of 5.45 mg cm–2 at 0.1 C) and long cycle life (500 cycles at 1 C). The ZIF-67/SA-PAN functional separator in this work can provide a facile and inexpensive approach to fabricate practical Li–S batteries.

Locally Concentrated Ionic Liquid Electrolyte with Partially Solvating Diluent for Lithium/Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile Batteries.

The development of Li/sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) batteries requires electrolytes that can form stable electrolyte/electrode interphases simultaneously on lithium-metal anodes (LMAs) and SPAN cathodes. Herein, a low-flammability locally concentrated ionic liquid electrolyte (LCILE) employing monofluorobenzene (mFBn) as the diluent is proposed for Li/SPAN cells. Unlike non-solvating diluents in other LCILEs, mFBn partially solvates Li+ , decreasing the coordination between Li+ and bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI- ). In turn, this triggers a more substantial decomposition of FSI- and consequently results in the formation of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) rich in inorganic compounds, which enables a remarkable Coulombic efficiency (99.72%) of LMAs. Meanwhile, a protective cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI), derived mainly from FSI- and organic cations, is generated on the SPAN cathodes, preventing the dissolution of polysulfides. Benefiting from the robust interphases simultaneously formed on both the electrodes, a highly stable cycling of Li/SPAN cells for 250 cycles with a capacity retention of 71% is achieved employing the LCILE and only 80% lithium-metal excess.

A Sulfolane-Based Electrolyte Optimized for Microporous Activated Carbon-Sulfur Composites for Lithium Sulfur Batteries

The dissolution of lithium polysulfide into electrolytes is a major limitation of Li-S batteries that hinders their practical applications. Lithium polysulfide dissolution is suppressed by using sulfur-complexed microporous-carbon cathodes in lithium–sulfur batteries. This study reports the use of a localized high-concentration electrolyte (LHCE), in which a sulfolane (SL) high-concentration electrolyte is diluted with hydrofluoroether (HFE), for the strong suppression of lithium polysulfide elution. A previously reported sulfolane electrolyte in the solvated state exhibits a short cycle life of eight cycles, whereas the sulfur-containing microporous-carbon cathode with a sulfolane-based electrolyte prepared in the ratio of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) : SL : HFE = (0.572–0.953) : 2.00 : 1.26 (mol) exhibits a discharge capacity of more than 550 mAh g−1, even after 50 charge–discharge cycles. Increasing the LiTFSI ratio decreases the response current during discharge, as indicated by cyclic voltammetry. A sulfur cathode with microporous carbon (AZC) shows equivalent performance on decreasing the amount of solvated LiTFSI. This study could guide the design and development of electrolytes for sulfur-containing microporous-carbon cathodes.

A synergistic effect on a ternary Co-S-Se catalytic material for simultaneous enhancement of the kinetics and stability in a lithium-sulfur battery

In Li-S batteries (LSBs), the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in an electrolyte and sluggish kinetics for the phase transition of LiPS lead to loss of S with the shuttle effect. As the use of catalysts offers one way to accelerate kinetics, various catalytic materials have been studied to overcome this crucial issue for LSBs. Among them, CoS2 is an attractive catalyst due to its good adsorption capability for LiPS and low oxidation energy barrier, but its slow kinetics requires a large amount of CoS2 (>30.0 wt%). Additionally, CoSe2 also has a high intrinsic conductivity, leading to acceleration of the redox kinetics for LiPS, but it has a weak attraction for LiPS. In this study, we introduce ternary CoSSe catalytic material to enhance the kinetics and stability even at low catalyst content (12.5 wt%) in LSBs. The CoSSe reveals a synergistic effect on the adsorption capability of CoS2 and the redox kinetics of CoSe2. As a result, compared with bare PP, KB/CoSSe-coated PP exhibits a 6 times higher rate performance (690.1 mAh/g at 1.0C) and 2 times higher cyclic stability (capacity retention of 84.3 % after 100 cycles at 0.5C) in a Li-S battery.

Deciphering Enhanced Solid-State Kinetics of Li–S Batteries via Te Doping

Owing to their high gravimetric energy, low cost, and wide availability of required materials, Li–S batteries (LSBs) are considered as a promising next-generation energy storage technology. However, the sluggish redox kinetics and dissolution of lithium polysulfides during the electrochemical reactions are key problems to overcome. The improvement of the long-term cycle life of LSBs solely by converting insoluble solid-state electrolyte-soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) (Li2Sx, where 1 ≤ x ≤ 2, 836 mAh g–1) is an ingenious method, but solid-state LiPS conversion has sluggish redox kinetics owing to the intrinsically low electrical conductivity of solid-state LiPS compounds (Li2S and Li2S2). This study applied Te doping to S cathodes and conducted experimental and theoretical analyses on the Te-doped solid-state LiPSs to investigate the effect of Te on the redox kinetics of the solid-state LiPS conversions for high-performance LSBs. The qualitative and quantitative electrochemical characterization demonstrated that Te induced an increase in the kinetics. Furthermore, the enhanced kinetics were explained at the atomic scale by the theoretical thermodynamics and chemomechanics investigations. The design of high-performance LSBs will benefit the strong understanding of Te-doped S electrodes in solid-state conversion.

A new ether-based medium-concentrated electrolyte for lithium–sulfur battery with lean Li anode

A new ether-based electrolyte with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and di-isopropyl ether (DIPE) is proposed for Lithium–Sulfur battery (LSB). By employing the common ion effect and the weakly-solvating solvent (such as DIPE), the dissolution of lithium polysulfides and the self-discharge effect are effectively inhibited. Besides, the LiFSI has be used as the co-salt in the LiTFSI-based electrolyte to improve the ionic conductivity and inhibit the side reaction on Li metal anode. It is worth mentioning that, the L1L2TD-1382 electrolyte (LiTFSI: LiFSI: THF: DIPE = 1 : 3: 8 : 2, molar ratio) ensures a stable cycling for more than 500 cycles with a high Columbic efficiency (CE) of Li deposition/stripping (>99.3%). Impressively, with selenium doped sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SeSPAN) cathode, the Li–S cell has delivered a high capacity of 626 mAh g−1 in 500th cycle with an excellent capacity retention no less than 93%. This work provides a new insight to electrolyte design strategy of advanced electrolytes for Li–S batteries.

Biomass-Derived Carbon for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

With the advantages of high conductivity and low cost, porous carbons have been considered as the most attractive materials as hosts of sulfur cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). However, LSBs always suffer short cycle life due to the “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfide species (polysulfides), which are intermediate products during the charge/discharge processes. The weak interaction between carbon and polysulfides results in the dissolution of polysulfides from the cathodes, loss of active material and eventually fast capacity fading. To overcome these drawbacks, we employed a biomass-derived carbon as the host material in sulfur cathodes. Results from X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nitrogen sorption reveals that this biomass-derived product is amorphous carbon and is composed of both large (>10 nm) and small (<5 nm) pores. Using as hosts of cathodes in LSBs, the biomass-derived carbons could deliver a high reversible capacity of > 800 mAh/g and retain >80% of initial capacity after 200 cycles. Especially, the activated carbons exhibited 80% capacity retention after 400 cycles. The promising LSB performance could be ascribed to the unique porous architecture of biomass-derived carbons. The meso/micropores in biomass-derived carbons could provide more sites to anchor sulfur and polysulfides, while macropores provide channels for fast transport of ions. This was corroborated by the results from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and absorption measurements.