Review and recent development of lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract

Lithium-sulfur battery is a kind of energy storage system with high specific capacity, low production cost and environmental friendliness. It has great development potential and application prospect in portable electronic device energy storage. However, lithium-sulfur batteries still face the problems of low Coulomb efficiency and short lifespan in practical applications. This is mainly attributed to polysulfide shuttle effect, low electrical conductivity of S8 and Li2S and uncontrolled lithium dendrite growth. The inhibition of lithium dendrite growth and the inhibition of the reaction between soluble polysulfide and lithium can not only enhance the safety and electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries, but also play an important role in high-capacity lithium sulfur batteries. In this paper, the development of lithium-sulfur battery is reviewed, and the progress of high-sulfur loaded lithium battery is introduced emphatically. By analyzing the mechanism, we can understand the operation mechanism of lithium sulfur battery and develop improvement methods, including the use of graded porous carbon for cathode and element doping to increase the sulfur loading rate of active substance and reduce the shuttle effect of polysulfide. The development of liquid and solid electrolyte systems and strategies to enhance anode stability are also introduced. In addition, we believe that in-depth understanding of the mechanism of lithium-sulfur batteries can strengthen the cognition of lithium-sulfur batteries and guide the future development of high-sulfur loaded lithium-sulfur batteries. At the same time, improving synergies between components can further advance lithium-sulfur battery technology from button batteries and flexible pack batteries to subsequent commercial scale applications.

Keywords

• lithium sulfur battery
• polysulfide
• shuttle effect
• hierarchical structure
• anodic protection