Tin disulfide embedded on porous carbon spheres for accelerating polysulfide conversion kinetics toward lithium-sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are considered promising candidates for next-generation advanced energy storage systems due to their high theoretical capacity, low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the severe shuttle effect and weak redox reaction severely restrict the practical application of Li-S batteries. Herein, a functional catalytic material of tin disulfide on porous carbon spheres (SnS2@CS) is designed as a sulfur host and separator modifier for lithium-sulfur batteries. SnS2@CS with high electrical conductivity, high specific surface area and abundant active sites can not only effectively improve the electrochemical activity but also accelerate the capture/diffusion of polysulfides. Theoretical calculations and in situ Raman also demonstrate that SnS2@CS can efficiently adsorb and catalyse the rapid conversion of polysulfides. Based on these advantages, the SnS2@CS-based Li-S battery delivers an excellent reversible capacity of 868 mAh/g at 0.5C (capacity retention of 96 %), a high rate capability of 852 mAh/g at 2C, and a durable cycle life with an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.029 % per cycle over 1000 cycles at 2C. This work combines the design of sulfur electrodes and the modification of separators, which provides an idea for practical applications of Li-S batteries in the future.