Recent Advances in Lithium Sulfide Cathode Materials and Their Use in Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Increasing interest in electric transportation and bulk energy storage systems has fueled a growth in the demand for battery technologies that can offer both a high capacity and high energy density. Potential candidates include lithium sulfur batteries based on a lithium sulfide (Li2S) cathode material, which overcome many of the problems associated with other lithium sulfur battery designs. The downside of this is that Li2S has a sluggish activation process, and so, in a bid to overcome this shortcoming, various studies have aimed at better understanding the activation mechanism of this material so that it can be more effectively utilized. An overview of these efforts, as well as of the various full-cell systems that have been subsequently developed based on Li2S cathodes in combination with different anode materials such as silicon nanowires, silicon thin films, and tin composites is provided.