Carbon–Metal Oxide Hybrid Nanocomposites

Separator modification provides as an effective pathway in mediating the sluggish reaction kinetics and severe shuttling effect of polysulfides for developing advanced lithium-sulfur batteries. Metal oxides can give the adsorption and catalytic conversion activity towards polysulfides to suppress the shuttle effect, accelerate the redox kinetics and protect the lithium anode corrosion. Carbon materials could form the electron conductive network, improve the electrolyte wettability and ion channels, and regulate the Li-ion flux and local current density. In this chapter, in perspective of developing carbon–metal oxide hybrid nanocomposite for separator modification, we summarized the recent progress of metal oxides for polysulfide’s adsorption and electrocatalytic conversion in classification of monometallic oxide, binary metal oxide and ternary metal oxide. Typical design of carbon and metal oxide combination, fabrication method of separator modification, the roles of carbon and metal oxide in flexible mechanical performance, thermal stability, electrical conductivity, ion channel and transport, active sites of adsorption and catalysis, are then described in detail.