Advanced preparation and application of bimetallic materials in lithium-sulfur batteries:A review

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered highly promising as next-generation energy storage systems due to high theoretical capacity(2600 Wh kg^(-1))and energy density(1675 mA h g^(-1))as well as the abundant natural reserves,low cost of elemental sulfur,and environmentally friendly properties.However,several challenges impede its commercialization including low conductivity of sulfur itself,the severe“shuttle effect”caused by lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)during charge–discharge processes,volume expansion effects and sluggish reaction kinetics.As a solution,polar metal particles and their compounds have been introduced as the main hosts for sulfur cathode due to their robust catalytic activity and adsorption capability,effectively suppressing the“shuttle effect”of Li PSs.Bimetallic alloys and their compounds with multi-functional properties exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance more readily when compared to single-metal materials.Well-designed bimetallic materials demonstrate larger specific surface areas and richer active sites,enabling simultaneous high adsorption capability and strong catalytic properties.The synergistic effect of the“adsorption-catalysis”sites accelerates the adsorptiondiffusion-conversion process of Li PSs,ultimately achieving a long-lasting Li-S battery.Herein,the latest progress and performance of bimetallic materials in cathodes,separators,and interlayers of Li-S batteries are systematically reviewed.Firstly,the principles and challenges of Li-S batteries are briefly analyzed.Then,various mechanisms for suppressing“shuttle effects”of Li PSs are emphasized at the microscale.Subsequently,the performance parameters of various bimetallic materials are comprehensively summarized,and some improvement strategies are proposed based on these findings.Finally,the future prospects of bimetallic materials are discussed,with the hope of providing profound insights for the rational design and manufacturing of high-performance bimetallic materials for LSBs.

Design,preparation,application of advanced array structured materials and their action mechanism analyses for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB)has brought much attention and concern because of high theoretical specific capacity and energy density as one of main competitors for next-generation energy storage systems.The widely commercial application and development of LSB is mainly hindered by serious“shuttle effect”of lithium polysulfides(Li PSs),slow reaction kinetics,notorious lithium dendrites,etc.In various structures of LSB materials,array structured materials,possessing the composition of ordered micro units with the same or similar characteristics of each unit,present excellent application potential for various secondary cells due to some merits such as immobilization of active substances,high specific surface area,appropriate pore sizes,easy modification of functional material surface,accommodated huge volume change,enough facilitated transportation for electrons/lithium ions,and special functional groups strongly adsorbing Li PSs.Thus many novel array structured materials are applied to battery for tackling thorny problems mentioned above.In this review,recent progresses and developments on array structured materials applied in LSBs including preparation ways,collaborative structural designs based on array structures,and action mechanism analyses in improving electrochemical performance and safety are summarized.Meanwhile,we also have detailed discussion for array structured materials in LSBs and constructed the structure-function relationships between array structured materials and battery performances.Lastly,some directions and prospects about preparation ways,functional modifications,and practical applications of array structured materials in LSBs are generalized.We hope the review can attract more researchers'attention and bring more studying on array structured materials for other secondary batteries including LSB.

Latest progresses and the application of various electrolytes in high-performance solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries

With the emergence of some solid electrolytes(SSEs)with high ionic conductivity being comparable to liquid electrolytes,solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries(SSLSBs)have been widely regarded as one of the most promising candidates for the next generation of power generation energy storage batteries,and have been extensively researched.Though many fundamental and technological issues still need to be resolved to develop commercially viable technologies,SSLSBs using SSEs are expected to address the present limitations and achieve high energy and power density while improving safety,which is very attractive to large-scale energy storage systems.SSLSBs have been developed for many years.However,there are few systematic discussions related to the working mechanism of action of various electrolytes in SSLSBs and the defects and the corresponding solutions of various electrolytes.To fill this gap,it is very meaningful to review the recent progress of SSEs in SSLSBs.In this review,we comprehensively investigate and summarize the application of SSEs in LSBs to determine the differences which still exist between current progresses and real-world requirements,and comprehensively describe the mechanism of action of SSLSBs,including lithium-ion transport,interfacial contact,and catalytic conversion mechanisms.More importantly,the selection of solid electrolyte materials and the novel design of structures are reviewed and the properties of various SSEs are elucidated.Finally,the prospects and possible future research directions of SSLSBs including designing high electronic/ionic conductivity for cathodes,optimizing electrolytes and developing novel electrolytes with excellent properties,improving electrode/-electrolyte interface stability and enhancing interfacial dynamics between electrolyte and anode,using more advanced test equipment and characterization techniques to analyze conduction mechanism of Li^(+)in SSEs are presented.It is hoped that this review can arouse people’s attention and enlighten the development of functional materials and novel structures of SSEs in the next step.