The development of rechargeable Na–S batteries
is very promising,
thanks to their considerably high energy density, abundance of elements,
and low costs and yet faces the issues of sluggish redox kinetics
of S species and the polysulfide shuttle effect as well as Na dendrite
growth. Following the theory-guided prediction, the rare-earth metal
yttrium (Y)–N4 unit has been screened as a favorable
Janus site for the chemical affinity of polysulfides and their electrocatalytic
conversion, as well as reversible uniform Na deposition. To this end,
we adopt a metal–organic framework (MOF) to prepare a single-atom
hybrid with Y single atoms being incorporated into the nitrogen-doped
rhombododecahedron carbon host (Y SAs/NC), which features favorable
Janus properties of sodiophilicity and sulfiphilicity and thus presents
highly desired electrochemical performance when used as a host of
the sodium anode and the sulfur cathode of a Na–S full cell.
Impressively, the Na–S full cell is capable of delivering a
high capacity of 822 mAh g–1 and shows superdurable
cyclability (97.5% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at a high current
density of 5 A g–1). The proof-of-concept three-dimensional
(3D) printed batteries and the Na–S pouch cell validate the
potential practical applications of such Na–S batteries, shedding
light on the development of promising Na–S full cells for future
application in energy storage or power batteries.