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.