Single-atom electrocatalyst and gel polymer electrolyte boost the energy density and life of aluminum-sulfur batteries

Aluminum-sulfur(Al-S)batteries are regarded as a desirable candidate for large-scale energy storage be-cause of their high energy density and abundant natural resources of electrode materials.To address the critical issues of low discharge voltage and rapid capacity decay in Al-S batteries,here an electrocatalyst-assisted gel-polymer electrolyte(GPE)-based Al-S battery is fabricated using platinum nanoparticles deco-rated platinum/nitrogen co-doped graphene(PtNG)as sulfur host for positive electrode and metal-organic frameworks(MOF)filled GPE(MOF@GPE)as solid electrolyte.Pt-based active sites derived from Pt nan-oclusters’surface and atomically dispersed Pt-N_(2) chemical bonds in PtNG can catalyze the decomposition of sulfur and polysulfides in the electrochemical process,greatly accelerating the sulfur redox kinetics.Furthermore,the MOF fillers in MOF@GPE electrolyte significantly inhibit the shuttle effect of polysul-fides,efficiently improving the utilization of sulfur.Consequently,the established Al-S battery delivers a specific capacity of 1009 mAh g^(−1) with a discharge plateau of∼0.95 V,along with a capacity retention of 65% after 300 cycles,revealing ultrahigh energy density and long cycle life.Such a strategy of combin-ing electrocatalyst and MOF-based gel electrolyte affords a fresh plateau for promoting the rechargeable ability of Al-S batteries,advancing remarkable routes for achieving efficient and stable energy storage devices.