Slimmed Solvation Structure With Dual-Interface Regulation for High-Performance and Safe Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Developing safe and high-energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) is critical for electrochemical energy storage.
• Current electrolytes face challenges in simultaneously achieving high energy density, cycling stability, and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a novel electrolyte for high-performance and high-safety LSBs.
• To improve interfacial stability, ion-environment regulation, and electrocatalytic activity in LSB electrolytes.

Main Methods:

• Incorporated symmetric ionic plastic crystals into the electrolyte.
• Constructed a slimmed solvation structure for Li+ ions.
• Suppressed anion aggregation (Sn2- and TFSI-) during discharge.

Main Results:

• Achieved high ionic conductivity, low desolvation energy barrier, and high electrocatalytic activity.
• Demonstrated high interfacial stability at both cathode and anode interfaces.
• Enabled stable and rapid cycling with high energy density (704 Wh kg-1) and stability (0.018% capacity decay per cycle over 600 cycles).

Conclusions:

• The developed electrolyte design strategy effectively enhances LSB performance and safety.
• The solvation structure model offers a viable approach for realizing advanced LSBs.
• This work contributes to the advancement of practical electrochemical energy storage solutions.