While Li-S batteries are poised to be the next generation high-density energy storage devices, low sulfur utilization and slow rate performance have limited their practical applications. Here, we report the synthesis of monodispersed S8 nanoparticles (NPs) with different diameter and the nanosize dependent kinetic characteristics of the corresponding Li-S batteries. Most remarkably, 5 nm S NPs display the theoretical discharging/charging capacity of 1672 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C rate and a discharge capacity of 1089 mAh g(-1) at 4 C.

Light strongly interacts with structures that are of a similar scale to its wavelength, typically nanoscale features for light in the visible spectrum. However, the optical response of these nanostructures is usually fixed during the fabrication. Phase change materials offer a way to tune the properties of these structures in nanoseconds. Until now, phase change active photonics has used materials that strongly absorb visible light, which limits their application in the visible spectrum. In contrast, Sb2S3 is an underexplored phase change material with a bandgap that can be tuned in the visible spectrum from 2.0 to 1.7 eV. This tuneable bandgap is deliberately coupled to an optical resonator such that it responds dramatically in the visible spectrum to Sb2S3 reversible structural phase transitions. It is shown that this optical response can be triggered both optically and electrically. High‐speed reprogrammable Sb2S3 based photonic devices, such as those reported here, are likely to have wide applications in future intelligent photonic systems, holographic displays, and microspectrometers.

We report the synthesis of ultrafine S nanoparticles with diameter 10 ~ 20 nm via a membrane-assisted precipitation technique. The S nanoparticles were then coated with conducting poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) to form S/PEDOT core/shell nanoparticles. The ultrasmall size of S nanoparticles facilitates the electrical conduction and improves sulfur utilization. The encapsulation of conducting PEDOT shell restricts the polysulfides diffusion, alleviates self-discharging and the shuttle effect, and thus enhances the cycling stability. The resulting S/PEDOT core/shell nanoparticles show initial discharge capacity of 1117 mAh g−1 and a stable capacity of 930 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles.