Lithium Sulfide Research Articles

Unveiling the Role of Electric Double-Layer in Sulfur Catalysis for Batteries.

The metal-catalyzed sulfur reaction in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries usually suffers from the strong binding of sulfur species to the catalyst surface, which destroys the electric double layer (EDL) region there. This causes rapid catalyst deactivation because it prevents the desorption of sulfur species and mass transport through the EDL is hindered. This work introduces a competitive adsorption factor (fsulfur) as a new indicator to quantify the competitive adsorption of sulfur species in the EDL and proposes an alloying method to change it by strengthening the p-d hybridization of alloying metals with electrolyte solvents. A cobalt-zinc alloy catalyst with a moderate fsulfur lowers the activation energy of the rate-limiting step of the conversion of lithium polysulfides to lithium sulfide, giving a platform capacity proportion that is 96% of the theoretical value and has a greatly improved anti-passivation ability, especially at high sulfur loadings and lean electrolyte conditions (a low E/S ratio of 5µL mgS -1). A pouch cell using this approach has a high energy density of up to 464Wh kg-1. Such a competitive adsorption indicator and alloying strategy offer a new guideline for catalyst design and a practical electrocatalysis solution for Li-S batteries.

Insight into All‐Solid‐State Li–S Batteries: Challenges, Advances, and Engineering Design

AbstractThe advancement of conventional lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) is hindered by the shuttle effect and corresponding safety issues. All‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) substitute the liquid electrolytes with solid‐state electrolytes (SEs) to completely isolate the cathode and anode, thereby effectively suppressing polysulfide migration and growth while significantly enhancing energy density and safety. However, the development of ASSLSBs is accompanied by several challenges such as the formation of Li dendrites, electrode degradation, poor interfacial wettability, and sluggish reaction kinetics, etc. This review systematically summarizes the recent advancements made in ASSLSBs. First, a comprehensive overview of the research conducted on advanced cathodes utilizing sulfur (S) and lithium sulfide (Li2S) is displayed. Subsequently, the SEs are classified and discussed that have been implemented in ASSLSBs. Furthermore, the issues of interfaces and anodes in ASSLSBs are analyzed. Finally, based on current laboratory advancements, rational design guidelines are proposed for each component of ASSLSBs while also presenting four practical recommendations for facilitating early commercialization.

The study on the reason why ZnS catalyst cannot suppress the shuttle effect of polysulfides in lithium-sulfur (Li–S) battery

The catalytic effect of zinc sulfide (ZnS) on the transformation of polysulfides (Li2S8) to lithium sulfide (Li2S) has been proven by the enhancement in the rate performance of lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries incorporating ZnS particles into the cathode. Accordingly, the shuttling effect of polysulfide should also be suppressed. However, the expected phenomenon is not found in the Li–S batteries with ZnS particles being added in the cathodes. In order to find the intrinsic mechanism of this phenomenon, detailed catalytic effects of ZnS particles on different polysulfide molecules are investigated. It is shown that ZnS can only enhance the reaction from Li2S4 to Li2S and it has almost no catalytic effect on the reaction from Li2S6 to Li2S4. This is why the shuttle effect of Li2S6 cannot be effectively prohibited. This mechanism is further verified via combining ZnS particles with S–C@PVA yolk-shell particles containing sulfur (S) and carbon black (C) as the core and PVA as the shell. Although the reaction from Li2S6 to Li2S4 cannot be directly catalysed by ZnS particles, it can still be enhanced when ZnS particles are distributed within the S–C@PVA yolk-shell structure (S–C–ZnS@PVA) because the reaction speed from the Li2S4 to Li2S is accelerated. The fast consumption of Li2S4 will result in the enhancement of the reaction from Li2S6 to Li2S4, which will largely reduce the diffusion of Li2S6 out of the PVA shell. While if ZnS particles are located outside the S–C@PVA yolk-shell structure (S–C@PVA-ZnS), large amount of Li2S6 can still diffuse out of the PVA shell and enter into the electrolyte since the transformation from is Li2S6 to Li2S4 relatively low. Both the rate performance and cycle stability of the batteries with S–C–ZnS@PVA cathodes are higher than those with S–C@PVA-ZnS ones. These results will give a guidance for the preparation of Li–S battery with high performance.

Fence-Type Molecular Electrocatalysts for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Improving the slow redox kinetics of sulfur species and shuttling issues of soluble intermediates induced from the multiphase sulfur redox reactions are crucial factors for developing the next-generation high-energy-density lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In this study, we successfully constructed a novel molecular electrocatalyst through in situ polymerization of bis(3,4-dibromobenzene)-18-crown-6 (BD18C6) with polysulfide anions on the cathode interface. The crown ether (CE)-based polymer acts as a spatial "fence" to precisely control the unique redox characteristics of sulfur species, which could confine sulfur substance within its interior and interact with lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) to optimize the reaction barrier of sulfur species. The "fence" structure and the double-sided Li+ penetrability of the CE molecule may also prevent the CE catalytic sites from being covered by sulfur during cycling. This new fence-type electrocatalyst mitigates the "shuttle effect", enhances the redox activity of sulfur species, and promotes the formation of three-dimensional stacked lithium sulfide (Li2S) simultaneously. It thus enables lithium-sulfur batteries to exhibit superior rate performance and cycle stability, which may also inspire development facing analogous multiphase electrochemical energy-efficient conversion process.

Fence‐type Molecular Electrocatalysts for High‐Performance Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

Improving the slow redox kinetics of sulfur species and shuttling issues of soluble intermediates induced from the multiphase sulfur redox reactions are crucial factors for developing the next‐generation high‐energy‐density lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries. In this study, we successfully constructed a novel molecular electrocatalyst through in situ polymerization of bis(3,4‐dibromobenzene)‐18‐crown‐6 (BD18C6) with polysulfide anions on the cathode interface. The crown ether (CE)‐based polymer acts as a spatial "fence" to precisely control the unique redox characteristics of sulfur species, which could confine sulfur substance within its interior and interact with lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) to optimize the reaction barrier of sulfur species. The "fence" structure and the double‐sided Li+ penetrability of the CE molecule may also prevent the CE catalytic sites from being covered by sulfur during cycling. This new fence‐type electrocatalyst mitigates the “shuttle effect”, enhances the redox activity of sulfur species, and promotes the formation of three‐dimensional stacked lithium sulfide (Li2S) simultaneously. It thus enables lithium‐sulfur batteries to exhibit superior rate performance and cycle stability, which may also inspire development facing analogous multiphase electrochemical energy‐efficient conversion process.

Lithium cation-doped tungsten oxide as a bidirectional nanocatalyst for lithium-sulfur batteries with high areal capacity

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising for high energy-storage applications but suffer from sluggish conversion reaction kinetics and substantial lithium sulfide (Li2S) oxidation barrier, especially under high sulfur loadings. Here, we report a Li cation-doped tungsten oxide (LixWOx) electrocatalyst that efficiently accelerates the S↔Li2S interconversion kinetics. The incorporation of Li dopants into WOx cationic vacancies enables bidirectional electrocatalytic activity for both polysulfide reduction and Li2S oxidation, along with enhanced Li+ diffusion. In conjunction with theoretical calculations, it is discovered that the improved electrocatalytic activity originates from the Li dopant-induced geometric and electronic structural optimization of the LixWOx, which promotes the anchoring of sulfur species at favourable adsorption sites while facilitating the charge transfer kinetics. Consequently, Li-S cells with the LixWOx bidirectional electrocatalyst show stable cycling performance and high sulfur utilization under high sulfur loadings. Our approach provides insights into cation engineering as an effective electrocatalyst design strategy for advancing high-performance Li-S batteries.

Investigation of the usage of carbon-based two dimensional materials in lithium sulfide (Li–S) batteries

After the synthesis of graphene (Gr), the other two-dimensional (2D) allotropes of carbon based materials have been predicted theoretically or synthesized by experimentally. Two of these nanomaterials are graphyne (Gy) and graphdiyne (Gdy) which are close relatives of Gr and can be synthesized in bulk. While carbon atoms in Gr bonds with sp2 bonds, Gy and Gdy comprise sp and sp2 hybridized carbon atoms with high degrees of π conjugation that features uniformly distributed pores. So, these intrinsic nanopores add distinction to Gy and Gdy with respect to the Gr especially for energy storage applications. Nowadays, the researchers are studying to improve the storage capacity of Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, Lithium–Sulfur (Li–S) batteries can store approximately five times more energy in terms of energy density compared to LIBs. In this study, we have systematically investigated the lithium polysulfides (LixSy; 1≤x≤2,1≤ y ≤ 8) adsorbed on Gr, Gy and Gdy monolayers by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results reveal that, the presence of sp bonds and the size of nanopores in the structure extremely affect the adsorption energy of small sized LixSy clusters. However, the adsorption energies obtained with increasing the size of LixSy clusters are almost similar in Gr, Gy and Gdy monolayers. The diffusion barrier energy values obtained for LixSy clusters indicate that the migration of clusters on Gr may be easy but it is hard on Gdy and especially on Gy due to the pore networks in the structures acting as traps to anchor the LixSy clusters. In addition, we have investigated the double adsorption of LixSy clusters on Gr, Gy and Gdy structures to search the shuttle effect. It can be reported that LixSy clusters do not bind each others and do not create long polysulfide chains, which is not requested.

Construction of lithium sulfide layer on lithium metal by a facile strategy for improving the cyclic stability of lithium metal batteries

Construction of lithium sulfide layer on lithium metal by a facile strategy for improving the cyclic stability of lithium metal batteries

Mirror Plane Effect of Magnetoplumbite-Type Oxide Restraining Long-Chain Polysulfides Disproportionation for High Loading Lithium Sulfur Batteries.

A facile solid-state approach is employed to synthesize a novel magnetoplumbite-type oxide of NdMgAl11O19, which integrates spinel-stacking layers (MgAl2O4) with Nd-O6 mirror plane structures. The resulting NdMgAl11O19 exhibits remarkable catalytic activity and conversion efficiency during the sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) in lithium-sulfur batteries. By employing the 2D projection mapping technique of in situ confocal Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical technique, it is discovered that the exposed mirror plane structure of Nd-O6 can effectively suppress the undesiring disproportionation reaction (S8 2-→S6 2-+1/4 S8) of long-chain lithium polysulfides at the initial stages of sulfur reduction, thereby promoting the positive process of sulfur to lithium sulfide. This not only mitigates the issue of sulfur shuttle loss but also significantly improve the kinetics of the conversion process. Leveraging these advantages, the NdMgAl11O19/S cathode delivered an impressive initial capacity of up to 1398 mAh g-1 at an electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio of 5.1µL mg-1 and a sulfur loading of 2.3mg cm-2. Even when the sulfur loading is increased to 10.02mg cm-2, the cathode retained a reversible areal capacity of 10.01 mAh cm-2 after 200 cycles. This mirror engineering strategy provides valuable and universal insights into enhancing the efficiency of cathodes in Li-S battery.

Modulating the Coordination Chemistry of Cobalt Catalytic Sites by Ruthenium Species to Accelerate the Polysulfide Conversion Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The performance of lithium-sulfur batteries is compromised by the loss of sulfur as dissolved polysulfides in the electrolyte and consequently the polysulfide redox shutting effect. Accelerating the conversion kinetics of polysulfide intermediates into sulfur or lithium sulfide through electrocatalysis has emerged as a root-cause solution. Co-N-C composite electrocatalyst is commonly used for this purpose. It is illustrated here that how the effectiveness can be improved by modulating the coordination chemistry of Co-N-C catalytic sites through introducing Ru species (RuCo-NC). The well-dispersed Ru in the Co-NC carbon matrix altered the total charge distribution over the Co-N-C catalytic sites and led to the formation of electron-rich Co-N, which is highly active for the polysulfide conversion reactions. Using Ru to modulate the electronic structure in the Co-N-C configuration and the additional catalytic sites over the Ru-Nx species can manifest optimal adsorption behavior of polysulfides. Consequently, the sulfur cathode with RuCo-NC can reduce the capacity fade rate from 0.11 % per cycle without catalyst (initial capacity of 701 mAh g-1) to 0.054 % per cycle (initial capacity of 1074 mAh g-1) over 400 cycles at 0.2 C rate. The results of this study provide the evidence for a feasible catalyst modification strategy for the polysulfide electrocatalysis.

Cellulose Fiber based self-supporting paper cathode with multi-scale network structure for high performance lithium-sulfur battery

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are gaining attention as a potential energy storage option due to their impressive theoretical specific capacity. However, the main challenges hindering its implementation include the expansion in volume of sulfur and lithium sulfide during the conversion process of charge-discharge, the limited conductivity of the active material, and specifically, the phenomenon known as shuttle effect caused by lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). The development of high-performance LSBs have led to the need for self-supporting cathode materials that can efficiently accommodate volume expansion, build up efficient conductive pathways, and suppress shuttle effects. The poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was synthesized in situ on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), resulting in the formation of CNF@PEDOT. Subsequently, CNF@PEDOT was combined with plant fibers (PFs) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to fabricate a self-supporting cathode featuring a multi-scale network structure denoted as CNF@PEDOT/MWCNT/PF/S. The PFs serve as the primary backbone network, CNF@PEDOT to form the secondary conductive network, and MWCNTs act as tertiary conducting networks. In fact, the design of multi-level conductive network effectively improves the conductivity of the material, and PEDOT can further adsorb and catalyze LiPSs. The incorporation of PFs significantly enhanced the mechanical robustness of the cathode and augmented its electrolyte permeability. The self-supporting CNF@PEDOT/MWCNT/PF/S cathode exhibits an initial capacity of 1204.6 mA h g−1 when loaded with 2.4 mg cm−2 of sulfur at a rate of 0.2 C. Notably, it maintains an initial discharge specific capacity of 712.9 mA h g−1 even when the sulfur load is increased to 4.3 mg cm−2. This study presents a comprehensive framework for the development of self-supporting cathodes in LSBs.

Formation of 2D Amorphous Lithium Sulfide Enabled by Mo2C Clusters Loaded Carbon Scaffold for High-Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, operated through the interconversion between sulfur and solid-state lithium sulfide, are regarded as next-generation energy storage systems. However, the sluggish kinetics of lithium sulfide deposition/dissolution, caused by its insoluble and insulated nature, hampers the practical use of Li-S batteries. Herein, leaf-like carbon scaffold (LCS) with the modification of Mo2C clusters (Mo2C@LCS) is reported as host material of sulfur powder. During cycles, the dissociative Mo ions at the Mo2C@LCS/electrolyte interface are detected to exhibit competitive binding energy with Li ions for lithium sulfide anions, which disrupts the deposition behavior of crystalline lithium sulfide and trends a shift in the configuration of lithium sulfide toward an amorphous structure. Combining the related electrochemical study and first-principle calculation, it is revealed that the formation of amorphous lithium sulfides shows significantly improved kinetics for lithium sulfide deposition and decomposition. As a result, the obtained Mo2C@LCS/S cathode shows an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.015% per cycle at a high mass loading of 9.5mg cm-2 after 700 cycles. More strikingly, an ultrahigh sulfur loading of 61.2mg cm-2 can also be achieved. This work defines an efficacious strategy to advance the commercialization of Mo2C@LCS host for Li-S batteries.

Nitrogen doped sulfide solid electrolytes with enhanced air stability and lithium metal compatibility

AbstractCompared with oxide, halide, and polymer‐based solid electrolytes, Li‐ion conducting sulfide solid electrolytes exhibit remarkable ionic conductivity, electronic conductivity, and exceptional thermal and mechanical properties. Despite these advantages, the susceptibility of sulfide electrolytes to air and the formation of lithium dendrites on the anode hinder their large‐scale commercial application. In this study, we propose a doping strategy involving the nitrogen (N) element in sulfide electrolyte Li5.5PS4.5Cl1.5 (LPSCl) with inherently high ionic conductivity. We have successfully synthesized Li5.5+xPS4.5−xNxCl1.5(x = .025, .05, .07, .10) solid electrolytes by enhancing their air stability through doping. The modified electrolyte material demonstrates stable cycling performance exhibiting superior air stability compared to Li5.5PS4.5Cl1.5. The results indicate that the doped sulfide solid electrolyte effectively suppresses the growth of lithium dendrites, thereby enhancing the compatibility between the lithium metal anode and sulfide solid electrolyte.

Integrating Lithium Sulfide as a Single Ionic Conductor Interphase for Stable All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

As a very prospective solid-state electrolyte, Li10GeP2S12 (LGPS) exhibits high ionic conductivity comparable to liquid electrolytes. However, severe self-decomposition and Li dendrite propagation of LGPS will be triggered due to the thermodynamic incompatibility with Li metal anode. Herein, by adopting a facile chemical vapor deposition method, an artificial solid electrolyte interphase composed of Li2S is proposed as a single ionic conductor to promote the interface stability of LGPS toward Li. The good electronic insulation coupled with ionic conduction property of Li2S effectively blocks electron transfer from Li to LGPS while enabling smooth passage of Li ions. Meanwhile, the generated Li2S layer remains good interface compatibility with LGPS, which is verified by the stable Li-plating/stripping operation for over 500h at 0.15mAcm-2. Consequently, the all-solid-state Li-S batteries (ASSLSBs) with a Li2S layer demonstrate superb capacity retention of 90.8% at 0.2mAcm-2 after 100cycles. Even at the harsh condition of 90 °C, the cell can deliver a high reversible capacity of 1318.8mAhg-1 with decent capacity retention of 88.6% after 100cycles. This approach offers a new insight for interface modification between LGPS and Li and the realization of ASSLSBs with stable cycle life.

Mixed valence Mo2C-MoC/C catalyst enhances polysulfides conversion kinetics in lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries have received extensive attention in the field of electrochemical energy storage systems due to their extremely high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh·kg−1) and low cost. However, poor electrical conductivity, shuttle effect, and volume expansion effect still need to be addressed. Here, we controllably synthesized hollow spherical Mo2C-MoC/C structure as the cathode material for lithium-sulfur batteries. Through high-temperature calcination, the synthesis of graphitized reticular carbon matrix and the loading of Mo2C and MoC nanoparticles with mixed valence of Mo2+ and Mo3+ were simultaneously achieved. The two synergistically improved the electronic conductivity and ensured excellent battery performance. From the experimental results, Mo2C-MoC/C structure strongly adsorbed polysulfides and promoted the conversion of polysulfides to lithium sulfide, accelerating the reaction kinetics and enhancing the battery performance. The initial discharge specific capacity of Mo2C-MoC/C electrode with 57.12 wt% sulfur content was 870.4 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C, and remained at 770.7 mAh·g−1 at 0.5 C, which was significantly better than that of Mo2C/C/S. The rational design of the Mo2C-MoC/C structure in this study can be generalized to the advanced electrode materials of other Mo-based nanomaterials.

DFT Simulations Investigating the Trapping of Sulfides by 1T-LixMoS2 and 1T-LixMoS2/Graphene Hybrid Cathodes in Li-S Batteries

The aim of this study is to investigate new materials that can be employed as cathode hosts in Li-S batteries, which would be able to overcome the effect of the shuttling of soluble polysulfides and maximize the battery capacity and energy density. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations are used to determine the adsorption energy of lithium sulfides in two types of cathode hosts: lithiated 1T-MoS2 (1T-LixMoS2) and hybrid 1T-LixMoS2/graphene. Initial simulations of lithiated 1T-MoS2 structures led to the selection of an optimized 1T-Li0.75MoS2 structure, which was utilized for the formation of an optimized 1T-Li0.75MoS2 bilayer and a hybrid 1T-Li0.75MoS2/graphene bilayer structure. It was found that all sulfides exhibited super-high adsorption energies in the interlayer inside the 1T-Li0.75MoS2 bilayer and very good adsorption energy values in the interlayer inside the hybrid 1T-Li0.75MoS2/graphene bilayer. The placement of sulfides outside each type of bilayer, over the 1T-Li0.75MoS2 surface, yielded good adsorption energies in the range of −2 to −3.8 eV, which are higher than those over a 1T-MoS2 substrate.

Insights into Lithium Sulfide Glass Electrolyte Structures and Ionic Conductivity via Machine Learning Force Field Simulations.

Sulfide-based solid electrolytes (SEs) are important for advancing all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs), primarily due to their high ionic conductivities and robust mechanical stability. Glassy SEs (GSEs) comprising mixed Si and P glass formers are particularly promising for their synthesis process and their ability to prevent lithium dendrite growth. However, to date, the complexity of their glassy structures hinders a complete understanding of the relationships between their structures and properties. This study introduces a new machine learning force field (ML-FF) tailored for lithium sulfide-based GSEs, enabling the exploration of their structural characteristics, mechanical properties, and lithium ionic conductivities. Using molecular dynamic (MD) simulations with this ML-FF, we explore the glass structures in varying compositions, including binary Li2S-SiS2 and Li2S-P2S5 as well as ternary Li2S-SiS2-P2S5. Our simulations yielded consistent results in terms of density, elastic modulus, radial distribution functions, and neutron structure factors compared to DFT and experimental work. Our findings reveal distinct local environments for Si and P within these glasses, with most Si atoms in edge-sharing configurations in Li2S-SiS2 and a mix of corner- and edge-sharing tetrahedra in the ternary Li2S-SiS2-P2S5 composition. For lithium ionic conductivity at 300 K, the 50Li2S-50SiS2 glass displayed the lowest conductivity at 2.1 mS/cm, while the 75Li2S-25P2S5 composition exhibited the highest conductivity at 3.6 mS/cm. The ternary glass showed a conductivity of 2.6 mS/cm, sitting between the two. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of lithium ion diffusion over the MD trajectory in the ternary glass demonstrated a significant correlation between diffusion pathways and the rotational dynamics of nearby SiS4 or PS4 tetrahedra. The ML-FF developed in this study provides an important tool for exploring a broad spectrum of solid-state and mixed former sulfide-based electrolytes.

Chemical Interactions between Dissolved Polysulfides and Potential Catalytic Host Materials for Li-S Batteries.

Given that both elemental sulfur (S8) and lithium sulfide (Li2S) exhibit insulating properties, the involvement of conductive host materials becomes crucial for facilitating charge transfer in sulfur cathodes within lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Furthermore, there has been a recent surge in the exploration of host materials for sulfur cathodes to address the "polysulfide shuttle" effect. This effect arises from the formation of polysulfide species during the charge-discharge cycles of the Li-S batteries and can be mitigated through physical or chemical interactions with specific materials. To qualitatively and accurately assess the interactions between polysulfides and the potential host materials, this study utilized a well-established high-performance liquid chromatography method for polysulfide analysis. The objective was to monitor the changes in polysulfide solutions after contact with 44 different carbon and inorganic materials. Based on both qualitative and quantitative chromatographic results, it was determined that 20 out of the 44 materials exhibit significant interactions with polysulfides. The primary form of interaction observed is the irreversible disproportionation reaction with elemental sulfur being one of the resulting products.

Cu2ZnSnS4‐Based Electrode as an Improvement Strategy for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries: A Status Review

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is seen as a microstructure electrode due to its high energy density when applied in lithium rechargeable batteries such as lithium‐ion batteries (LIB) and lithium sulfur batteries (LSB). This review provides a systematic observation to evaluate the CZTS electrode capabilities from the perspective of electrode composition and its performance in lithium rechargeable batteries. This review starts by focusing on state‐of‐art lithium rechargeable batteries using common sulfur/sulfide‐based materials reported from literature. The relation between the LSB performance with the active materials ‐ sulfur, binder, solvents, electrolytes, and conducting additive used for lithium sulfide (Li2S) formation required for charge transfer properties is discussed critically. The following section discusses the current progress on CZTS‐based electrode in lithium rechargeable batteries and it is found that the highest capacity obtained with improved interfacial compatibility is 1802 mAh g−1 by hydrothermal techniques using 1 m LiPF6 in EC/EMC/DMC electrolyte. These properties have made sulfide component in CZTS structure as a great substitute to conventional sulfur/sulfide‐based active materials. Therefore, CZTS has become a promising and huge potential electrode in lithium rechargeable batteries.

Ribosome-inspired electrocatalysts inducing preferential nucleation and growth of three-dimensional lithium sulfide for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Nucleation of lithium sulfide (Li2S) induced by electrocatalysts plays a crucial role in mitigating the shuttle effect. However, short-chain polysulfides on electrocatalysts surfaces tend to re-dissolve into electrolytes, delaying Li2S supersaturation and its nucleation. In this study, we draw inspiration from the ribosome-driven protein synthesis process in cells to prepare ultrasmall nitrogen-doped MoS2 nanocrystals anchored on porous nitrogen-doped carbon networks (N-MoS2-NC) electrocatalysts. Excitedly, the ex-situ SEM demonstrates that ribosome-inspired N-MoS2-NC electrocatalysts induce early nucleation and rapid growth of three-dimensional Li2S during discharge. Theoretical calculations reveal that the Li-S bond length in N-MoS2-Li2S(100) is shorter, and the corresponding interfacial formation energy is lower than in MoS2-Li2S(100). This accelerated conversion of lithium polysulfides to Li2S can enhance the utilization of active substances and inhibit the shuttle effect. This study highlights the potential of ribosome-inspired N-MoS2-NC in improving the electrochemical stability of Li-S batteries, providing valuable insights for future electrocatalyst design.