Triple-phase interfaces of graphene-like carbon clusters on antimony trisulfide nanowires enable high-loading and long-lasting liquid Li2S6-based lithium-sulfur batteries

Abstract High performance of lithium-sulfur batteries have been dragged down by their shuttling behavior which is complicated multiphase transition-based 16-electron redox reactions of the S8/Li2S. In this article, the triple-phase interfaces of graphene-like carbon clusters on antimony trisulfide (C-Sb2S3) nanowires are tailored to design a multifunctional polysulfide host which can inhibit migration of polysulfides and accelerate conversion kinetics of redox electrochemical reactions. Benefiting from the triple-interface design of polysulfides/Sb2S3/carbon clusters, the C-Sb2S3 electrode not only anchors polysulfide migration by the synergistic effect of Sb, S, and C atoms as interfacial active sites, but also the graphene-like carbon clusters shortens the diffusion paths to further favor redox electron/ion transport through the liquid (electrolyte/polysulfide) and solid (Li2S/S8, carbon clusters, and Sb2S3)-based triple-phases. Therefore, these Li2S6-based C-Sb2S3 cells possess high sulfur loading, excellent cycling stability, impressive specific capacity, and great rate capability. This work of interfacial engineering reveals insight for powering reaction kinetics in the complicated multistep catalysis reaction with multiphase evolution-based charge-transfer/non-transfer processes.