Engineering single-atom catalysts for sulfur electrochemistry in metal-sulfur batteries

Metal-sulfur electrochemistry represents a promising energy storage technology due to the natural abundance and unparalleled theoretical specific capacity of 1675 mAh g-1 of sulfur based on two-electron redox reaction (S0 M S2- ). Commercially viable metal-sulfur batteries (MSBs) are hindered by sluggish sulfur conversion kinetics, which reduce the utilization efficiency of sulfur and lead to polysulfide shuttling. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) exhibit specific catalytic activity, a high atomic utilization ratio, and flexible selectivity, and are considered exceptional electrocatalysts for addressing the intractable challenges encountered by the MSBs. This review summarizes the recent progress in SACs for boosting the sulfur electrochemistry in MSBs, focusing on sulfur host materials, modified separators and functional interlayers, and analyzes the in-depth mechanisms of SACs. Moreover, the correlation between the coordination environments and the intrinsic activity of SACs is discussed. Finally, the main challenges and potential research directions of SACs for high-energy-density and long-life MSBs are outlined. This study provides significant guidance for constructing novel SACs that can accelerate the sulfur conversion kinetics in MSBs. (c) 2025 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press.. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.