Two-Dimensional Material-Reinforced Separator for Li-Sulfur Battery

Li-S batteries are heavily researched as they are capable of meeting the demands of electrification of transport systems, provided their inherent polysulfide shuttling can be prevented to enhance the cycle life. Although several approaches have been made to mitigate the shuttling effect, success is limited due to the poor adsorption capability of polysulfides on the cathode surface. Herein, we propose an efficient approach of using two-dimensional materials with permanent dipoles in the separator to inhibit mass transport of polysulfides from cathode and subsequent parasitic reactions on the metallic lithium anode. Two-compartment H-cell experiments coupled with spectroscopic studies, such as ultraviolet-visible absorption, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, are used to demonstrate the interactions between the two-dimensional materials-modified separator and polysulfide species. Furthermore, electrochemical properties reveal the excellent specific capacity of 1210 mAh g(-1) and self-discharge studies suggest the feasibility of modified separator for commercial applications.