Structural Engineering of Cathode Materials for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery represents a high‐performance energy storage technology that will find applications in diverse areas, such as stationary and portable electronics as well as electric vehicles. Yet, dissolution of lithium polysulfides from cathode into organic electrolytes and the subsequent diffusion toward anode are two primary challenges that compromise the battery performance and hamper its wide‐spread commercialization. Deliberate manipulation of the sulfur cathode by physical confinement, covalent formation of polymeric sulfur, and incorporation of chemically binding materials has been extensively reported in the literature for improving the corresponding cycling stability and other key electrochemical properties. In this article, we summarize recent key progress in structural engineering of cathode materials in the enhancement of the device performance and conclude with a perspective of the promises and challenges of Li–S battery technology.