Single‐atom electrocatalysts for lithium–sulfur chemistry: Design principle, mechanism, and outlook
Yingze Song,
Luwei Zou,
Chaohui Wei,
Yu Zhou,
Yue Hu
Affiliations
Yingze Song
State Key Laboratory of Environment‐Friendly Energy Materials, Tianfu Institute of Research and Innovation, School of Materials and Chemistry Southwest University of Science and Technology Mianyang Sichuan People's Republic of China
Luwei Zou
Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou) University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Huzhou People's Republic of China
Chaohui Wei
Yangtze Delta Region Institute (Huzhou) University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Huzhou People's Republic of China
Yu Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Hunan Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics and Devices, School of Physics and Electronics, powder Metallurgy Research Institute Central South University Changsha People's Republic of China
Yue Hu
Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials of Zhejiang Province, College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering Wenzhou University Wenzhou People's Republic of China
Abstract Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been regarded as one of the promising candidates for the next‐generation “lithium‐ion battery beyond” owing to their high energy density and due to the low cost of sulfur. However, the main obstacles encountered in the commercial implementation of LSBs are the notorious shuttle effect, retarded sulfur redox kinetics, and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Accordingly, single‐atom catalysts (SACs), which have ultrahigh catalytic efficiency, tunable coordination configuration, and light weight, have shown huge potential in the field of LSBs to date. This review summarizes the recent research progress of SACs applied as multifunctional components in LSBs. The design principles and typical synthetic strategies of SACs toward effective Li–S chemistry as well as the working mechanism promoting sulfur conversion reactions, inhibiting the lithium polysulfide shuttle effect, and regulating Li+ nucleation are comprehensively illustrated. Potential future directions in terms of research on SACs for the realization of commercially viable LSBs are also outlined.
