A Review on Li-S Batteries as a High Efficiency Rechargeable Lithium Battery

Energy production and storage are critical research domains where the demands for improved energy devices and the requirement for greener energy resources are increasing. There is particularly intense interest in Lithium (Li)-ion batteries for all kinds of electrochemical energy storage. Li-ion batteries are currently the primary energy storage devices in the communications, transportation and renewable-energy sectors. However, scaling up the Li-ion battery technology to meet current increasing demands is still problematic and issues such as safety, costs, and electrode materials with higher performance are under intense investigation. The Li-sulfur (S) battery is a promising electrochemical system as a high-energy secondary battery, particularly for large-scale applications, due to its low cost, theoretically large specific capacity, theoretically high specific energy, and its ecofriendly footprint. The Li-S battery exhibits excellent potential and has attracted the attention of battery developers in large scale production in recent years. This review aims to highlight recent advances in the Li-S battery, providing an overview of the Li-ion battery applications in energy storage, then detailing the challenges facing Li-S battery and current applied strategies for improvement in its efficiency. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society.