Toward high-sulfur-content, high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries: Review of materials and technologies

Lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs) are recognized as promising devices for developing next-generation energy storage systems. In addition, they are attractive rechargeable battery systems for replacing lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for commercial use owing to their higher theoretical energy density and lower cost compared to those of LIBs. However, LSBs are still beset with some persistent issues that pre-vent them from being used industrially, such as the unavoidable dissolution of lithium polysulfide inter-mediates during electrochemical reactions and large volume expansion (up to 80%) upon the formation of Li2S, resulting in serious battery life and safety limitations. In the process of solving these problems, it is necessary to maintain a high sulfur content in the cathode materials to ensure that the LSBs have high energy densities and excellent cycle performance. In this review, the novel preparation methods and cathode materials used for preparing LSBs in recent years are reviewed considering the sulfur content and cycle performance. In addition, the problems and difficulties in practically applying cathode materi-als are described, and the development trend is discussed.(c) 2023 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.