The lithium–sulfur battery is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for lithium–metal batteries with high energy density. However, dendrite Li formation and low cycle efficiency of the Li anode as well as unstable sulfur based cathode still hinder its practical application. Herein a novel electrolyte (1 m LiODFB/EC-DMC-FEC) is designed not only to address the above problems of Li anode but also to match sulfur cathode perfectly, leading to extraordinary electrochemical performances. Using this electrolyte, lithium|lithium cells can cycle stably for above 2000 hours and the average Coulumbic efficiency reaches 98.8 %. Moreover, the Li–S battery delivers a reversible capacity of about 1400 mAh g⁻¹_sulfur with retention of 89 % for 1100 cycles at 1 C, and a capacity above 1100 mAh g⁻¹_sulfur at 10 C. The more advantages of this cell system are its outstanding cycle stability at 60 °C and no self-discharge phenomena.

The lithium–sulfur battery is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for lithium–metal batteries with high energy density. However, dendrite Li formation and low cycle efficiency of the Li anode as well as unstable sulfur based cathode still hinder its practical application. Herein a novel electrolyte (1 m LiODFB/EC-DMC-FEC) is designed not only to address the above problems of Li anode but also to match sulfur cathode perfectly, leading to extraordinary electrochemical performances. Using this electrolyte, lithium|lithium cells can cycle stably for above 2000 hours and the average Coulumbic efficiency reaches 98.8 %. Moreover, the Li–S battery delivers a reversible capacity of about 1400 mAh g⁻¹_sulfur with retention of 89 % for 1100 cycles at 1 C, and a capacity above 1100 mAh g⁻¹_sulfur at 10 C. The more advantages of this cell system are its outstanding cycle stability at 60 °C and no self-discharge phenomena.

There is currently an urgent demand for highly efficient energy storage and conversion systems. Due to its high theoretical energy density, low cost, and environmental compatibility, the lithium sulfur (Li–S) battery has become a typical representative of the next generation of electrochemical power sources. Various approaches have been explored to design and prepare sulfur cathode materials to enhance their electrochemical performance. This Research News article summarizes and compares different sulfur materials for Li–S batteries and particularly focuses on the fine structures, electrochemical performance, and electrode reaction mechanisms of pyrolyzed polyacrylo­nitrile sulfur (pPAN@S) and microporous-carbon/small-sulfur composite materials.

Herein, MoO₂ nanoplates have been facilely prepared through a hydrothermal process by using MoO₃ microbelts as the intercalation host. The obtained MoO₂ nanoplates manifest excellent electrochemical properties when the discharge cutoff voltage is simply set at 1.0 V to preclude the occurrence of conversion reactions. Its initial reversible capacity reaches 251 mAh g⁻¹, which is larger than that of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, at a current rate of 0.2 C. The average capacity decay is only 0.0465 mAh g⁻¹ per cycle, with a coulombic efficiency of 99.5 % (from the 50th cycle onward) for 2000 cycles at 1 C. Moreover, this MoO₂ electrode demonstrates an outstanding high power performance. When the current rate is increased from 0.2 to 50 C, about 54 % of the capacity is retained. The superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the metallic conductivity of MoO₂, short Li⁺ diffusion distance in the nanoplates, and reversible crystalline phase conversion of the addition-type reaction of MoO₂. The prepared MoO₂ nanoplates may hopefully replace their currently used analogues, such as Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, in high power lithium-ion batteries.