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Accelerating Liquid-Solid Phase Polysulfide Conversion with Triphasic MoNCubic-Co-MoNHexagonal Heterostructures for
Xingfu Quan1,2, Zhongkai Huang3, Liang Deng3
1School of Physics and Optoelectronics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, P. R. China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|March 16, 2026
Summary
A novel cobalt-doped molybdenum nitride catalyst significantly boosts lithium-sulfur and sodium-sulfur battery performance by overcoming polysulfide shuttle effects and improving sulfur utilization for advanced energy storage.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) and room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries offer high theoretical energy density and cost-effectiveness, respectively.
- Key challenges include the polysulfide shuttle effect, slow kinetics, low sulfur utilization, and liquid-solid conversion bottlenecks, hindering practical application.
- The polysulfide shuttle effect and sluggish conversion kinetics are critical limitations for both Li-S and Na-S battery technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel catalyst to address the limitations of Li-S and RT Na-S batteries.
- To investigate the catalytic effect of a triphasic porous heterostructure on polysulfide conversion and energy barriers.
- To enhance the electrochemical performance, including capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability, of Li-S and RT Na-S batteries.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of a novel cobalt-doped molybdenum nitride catalyst (MoNCubic-Co-MoNHexagonal, MoNC-Co-MoNH).
- Electrochemical investigations, including capacity testing, rate capability analysis, and long-term cycling.
- Spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations to elucidate the catalytic mechanism and energy barriers.
Main Results:
- The MoNC-Co-MoNH catalyst effectively regulates polysulfide adsorption, diffusion, and conversion, significantly enhancing Li2S4 to Li2S conversion efficiency.
- Reduced energy barriers for Li2S nucleation and decomposition were observed.
- Li-S batteries with the catalyst achieved high capacity (1557.4 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C) with 93% sulfur utilization, excellent rate capability, and long-term stability, with similar benefits for RT Na-S batteries.
Conclusions:
- The synergistic effects within the MoNC-Co-MoNH heterostructure catalyst provide an efficient solution to polysulfide shuttle effects and kinetic limitations in Li-S and RT Na-S batteries.
- This catalyst significantly improves sulfur utilization and overall battery performance.
- The developed catalyst demonstrates great potential for advancing next-generation high-energy storage systems.
