Sulphur Cathodes: An Introduction

As fossil fuels are burned more and more for energy, the world’s environmental problems get worsen. Therefore, the research and development of renewable, clean energy sources is an urgent priority. Since 2009, there has been a surge in interest in studying the sulphur cathode used in lithium sulphur batteries (LSBs) due to high theoretical capacity and likely low manufacturing cost. However, electrical isolation of S and Li2S, the strong shuttle effect of lithium polysulphides, and the major volume change from S to Li2S upon lithiation are the key issues, which prompted scientists and engineers to work tirelessly for finding scientific and technological solutions. We have aimed to provide an all-encompassing fresh insight into the sulphur cathode’s future direction, specifically, the carbon architecture design of the sulphur host, advanced characterization techniques for in-depth mechanism understanding, and full-cell evaluation for a truly viable LSB. Volumetric expansion during charging and discharging also has a negative impact on LSB electrochemical performance, including rate performance, cycle life, and coulombic efficiency. Consequently, different sulphur composites containing carbon materials, metallic oxides, and conductive polymers, and different composite cathode materials recently developed for application to LSBs were discussed. Hence, it’s very important to learn more about sulphur cathode to get better understandings of the material chemistries, interfaces, and engineering of LSBs, which will open up a wealth of new possibilities for battery scientists.