Recent Advances and Strategies of Metal Sulfides for Accelerating Polysulfide Redox and Regulating Li Plating

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) face challenges like the shuttle effect and lithium dendrite growth, limiting their practical application.
• Metal sulfides show promise as multifunctional mediators to mitigate these issues.
• The structure-property-catalysis relationships of metal sulfides in LSBs are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review the dual functionality of metal sulfides (mono-, bi-, and multimetallic) in LSBs.
• To analyze the mechanisms by which sulfides accelerate polysulfide redox kinetics and guide lithium deposition.
• To provide design principles for sulfide-based architectures in high-energy LSBs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on metal sulfides in LSBs.
• Analysis of structure-property-catalysis relationships.
• Evaluation of synthesis strategies and their impact on conductivity, adsorption, and active sites.

Main Results:

• Metal sulfides effectively address the shuttle effect and lithium dendrite growth.
• Tailored electronic structures, interfacial engineering, and heterostructures enhance catalytic selectivity and cycling stability.
• Synthesis strategies can be optimized to balance key properties for improved battery performance.

Conclusions:

• Metal sulfides offer a viable strategy for developing high-energy, long-cycle LSBs.
• Further research into scalability and interfacial dynamics is needed.
• Advanced characterization and machine learning can accelerate LSB development.