A Mo₂C-MoP heterostructure enabled catalytic route for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

The commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is hindered by polysulfide shuttling and the sluggish conversion kinetics. Herein, we report a strategy for regulating the polysulfide conversion pathway via a Mo₂C-MoP heterostructure. With moderate adsorption strength and strong orbital coupling, this heterostructure catalyzes the cleavage of Li₂S₆ into LiS₃˙ radicals, which subsequently undergo rapid liquid-phase disproportionation to facilitate chemical nucleation of Li₂S, thereby bypassing the slow liquid-solid conversion step. The S/Mo₂C-MoP@CNF cathode constructed by this mechanism exhibits remarkable electrochemical performance, achieving a high discharge capacity of 1054.2 mAh g^-1 at 0.5C with a low capacity fading of only 0.062% per cycle.