Boosting Lean Electrolyte Lithium-Sulfur Battery Performance with Transition Metals: A Comprehensive Review

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S) batteries have received widespread attention, and lean electrolyte Li–S batteries have attracted additional interest because of their higher energy densities. This review systematically analyzes the effect of the electrolyte-to-sulfur(E/S) ratios on battery energy density and the challenges for sulfur reduction reactions(SRR) under lean electrolyte conditions. Accordingly, we review the use of various polar transition metal sulfur hosts as corresponding solutions to facilitate SRR kinetics at low E/S ratios(< 10 μL mg~(-1)), and the strengths and limitations of different transition metal compounds are presented and discussed from a fundamental perspective. Subsequently, three promising strategies for sulfur hosts that act as anchors and catalysts are proposed to boost lean electrolyte Li–S battery performance. Finally, an outlook is provided to guide future research on high energy density Li–S batteries.

Taming heat with tiny pressure

Heat is almost everywhere.Unlike electricity,which can be easily manipulated,the current ability to control heat is still highly limited owing to spontaneous thermal dissipation imposed by the second law of thermodynamics.Optical illumination and pressure have been used to switch endothermic/exothermic responses of materials via phase transitions;however,these strategies are less cost-effective and unscalable.Here,we spectroscopically demonstrate the glassy crystal state of 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol(AMP)to realize an affordable,easily manageable approach for thermal energy recycling.The supercooled state of AMP is so sensitive to pressure that even several megapascals can induce crystallization to the ordered crystal,resulting in a substantial temperature increase of 48 K within 20 s.Furthermore,we demonstrate a proof-of-concept device capable of programable heating with an extremely high work-to-heat conversion effi-ciency of383.Such delicate and efficient tuning of heat may remarkably facilitate rational utilization of waste heat.

Cobalt-embedded 3D conductive honeycomb architecture to enable high-sulphur-loading Li-S batteries under lean electrolyte conditions

High sulphur loading and lean electrolyte conditions are important to achieve the high theoretical energy density of lithiumsulphur(Li-S)batteries.However,serious problems such as low sulphur utilization and fast capacity fade are typically experienced under low electrolyte/sulphur(E/S)ratios and high sulphur loading conditions.To address these issues,a cobaltcontaining three-dimensional conductive honeycomb(Co@N-HPC)is proposed in this work as a material for sulphur cathodes.The good electrical conductivity and high density of catalytic sites of(Co@N-HPC)allow fast redox kinetics of lithium polysulfide(LiPS)in high-sulphur-loading electrodes.In addition,the hierarchical structure and good wettability by the electrolyte of Co@NHPC facilitates electrolyte penetration and LiPS conversion,leading to a high utilization of sulphur under lean electrolyte conditions.Therefore,at a current density of 0.2 C,a volumetric capacity of 1,410 mAh·cm^(−3)was attained with a sulphur loading of 5.1 mg·cm^(−2)and an E/S ratio of 5μL·mg^(−1).This work provides ideas for the development of lean electrolyte Li-S batteries with a high sulphur loading.