Inorganic Battery Materials

Structural Engineering of Cathode Materials for Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

Ligui Li, Jingping Yu, Nan Wang, Jun Zhao, Bin Fan and Shuaibo Zeng

South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

and

Shaowei Chen

South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China; University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

1. 1 Introduction
2. 2 Design and Engineering of Sulfur Cathodes
3. 3 Summary and Outlook
4. 4 Acknowledgments
5. 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms
6. 6 References

1 Introduction

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have been recognized as a promising energy technology to power stationary and portable electronic devices and electrical vehicles, since the discovery in the 1960s.¹ The typical reactions entail Li → Li⁺ + e⁻ at the anode and S + 2e⁻ → S^2 − at the cathode, with an overall reaction of 2Li + S → Li₂S.² Li–S batteries in general exhibit multiple merits. (i) Li–S batteries can deliver a theoretical energy density of 2567 Wh kg⁻¹ that is nearly 10‐fold higher than those of conventional Li‐ion batteries (LIBs).³,⁴ For instance, an energy density of about 180 Wh kg⁻¹ is usually observed for LiCoO₂/C battery, 210 Wh kg⁻¹ for LiFePO₄/C battery, 200 Wh kg⁻¹ for LiMnO₄/C battery, and about 260 Wh kg⁻¹ for LiNi_1/3Mn_1/3Co_1/3/C battery.⁵,⁶ This is because of the high specific capacity of sulfur (1672 mAh g⁻¹), which can meet the ever‐increasing demand of portable electronic devices and electrical vehicles.⁷–⁹ (ii) Sulfur is one of the most abundant elements on the earth's crust, and more ...