Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are regarded as the most promising next‐generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and cost‐effectiveness. However, their practical applications are seriously hindered by several inevitable drawbacks, especially the shuttle effects of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) which lead to rapid capacity decay and short cycling lifespan. This review specifically concentrates on the shuttle path of LiPSs and their interaction with the corresponding cell components along the moving way, systematically retrospect the recent advances and strategies toward polysulfides diffusion suppression. Overall, the strategies for the shuttle effect inhibition can be classified into four parts, including capturing the LiPSs in the sulfur cathode, reducing the dissolution in electrolytes, blocking the shuttle channels by functional separators, and preventing the chemical reaction between LiPSs and Li metal anode. Herein, the fundamental aspect of Li–S batteries is introduced first to give an in‐deep understanding of the generation and shuttle effect of LiPSs. Then, the corresponding strategies toward LiPSs shuttle inhibition along the diffusion path are discussed step by step. Finally, general conclusions and perspectives for future research on shuttle issues and practical application of Li–S batteries are proposed.
Mixed transition metal sulfides with hollow structures hold great promise for energy-related applications. However, most of them are in the powder form, which should be mixed with unwanted polymer binders and conductive agents. In this study, a facile two-step strategy has been developed to grow mesoporous and hollow Ni-Zn-Co-S nanosword arrays (NSAs) on a nickel foam (NF) substrate with robust adhesion, which involves the hydrothermal growth of bimetallic Zn-Co-ZIF NSAs on NF and subsequent transformation into hollow Ni-Zn-Co-S NSAs through the sulfurization process. Benefiting from the unique structural and compositional advantages as well as directly grown conductive substrate, the Ni-Zn-Co-S-0.33 NSAs/NF electrode exhibits the best electrochemical performance when investigated as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitors. Impressively, the Ni-Zn-Co-S-0.33 NSAs/NF electrode delivers a high areal capacity of 1.11 mA h cm at the current density of 10 mA cm, and the corresponding specific capacity is as high as 358.1 mA h g. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device based on the Ni-Zn-Co-S-0.33 NSAs/NF as the positive electrode and BiO/NF as the negative electrode has been successfully fabricated, and can deliver a high energy density of 91.7 W h kg at a power density of 458 W kg and maintain the energy density of 66.9 W h kg at a high power density of 6696 W kg. The electrochemical results suggest that the hollow Ni-Zn-Co-S NSAs would possess great potential for applications in high-performance supercapacitors.
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