Li-S Batteries: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities

Hassan Raza; Songyan Bai; Junye Cheng; Soumyadip Majumder; He Zhu; Qi Liu; Guangping Zheng; Xifei Li; Guohua Chen

doi:10.1007/s41918-023-00188-4

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2023, Vol. 6 ›› Issue (1) DOI: 10.1007/s41918-023-00188-4

Review Article

Li-S Batteries: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities

Author information +

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

²State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, 350108, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

³Department of Materials Science, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, 517182, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

⁴Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

⁵Xi’an Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials and Devices, Institute of Advanced Electrochemical Energy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, 710048, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China

⁶Center for International Cooperation on Designer Low-Carbon and Environmental Materials (CDLCEM), Zhengzhou University, 450001, Zhengzhou, Henan, China

⁷School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

^c chengjunye@smbu.edu.cn

^f qiliu63@cityu.edu.hk

^j ghchen1963@gmail.com

Hassan Raza

received his B.E. degree from BZ University Multan, Pakistan in 2011 and Master degree from University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan in 2017. Now he is Ph.D. candidate at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. His current research interest focuses on the development and application of the high entropy stabilized oxides/sulfides (HEOs/HESs) in high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

Songyan Bai

received his Ph.D. degree from University of Tsukuba in 2017. Currently, he is Full Professor at Fuzhou University. His research interests include lithium ion battery, organic battery, lithium sulfur battery, solid-state battery and new energy storage devices.

Junye Cheng

received his Ph.D. degree from City University of Hong Kong in 2019. Currently, he is Associate Professor at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University. His current research interests focus on the development of low-dimensional nanomaterials for applications in energy storage and conversion, environmental protection, as well as electromagnetic wave absorption.

Dr. Soumyadip Majumder

completed his PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has worked as a Postdoctoral researcher in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His research focuses on the synthesis and modification of cathode and electrolyte for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

Dr. He Zhu

received his B.S. degree from University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2012. And he received his Ph.D. degree from University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Xianran Xing. His current research interest focuses on the development of high performance batteries.

Qi Liu

is Assistant Professor at City University of Hong Kong. His research interests include fundamental studies of safety of batteries; development of multimodal advanced neutron and synchrotron technique.

Guangping Zheng

received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Condensed Matter Physics from Sun Yat-sen University in 1991 and 1993, respectively. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University in 2002. Now he is Associate Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr. Zheng’s research is in the areas of computational materials science, nanomechanics, and applications of nanomaterials in energy conversion and storage.

Xifei Li

is currently a professor at Xi’an University of Technology. He was awarded as 2018–2021 Highly Cited Researchers of Clarivate Analytics. He is a vicepresident of International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science and a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry. Dr. Li’s research group is currently working on optimized interfaces of the anodes and the cathodes with various structures for high performance rechargeable batteries. Dr. Li has authored/co-authored 320 peer-reviewed articles with more than 18 000 citations with an H index of 69.

Guohua Chen

obtained his B.Eng. degree from Dalian University of Technology in 1984, M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from McGill University, respectively, in 1989 and 1994. Now he is Chair Professor at City University of Hong Kong. Professor Chen’s research is in the areas of developing advanced materials for lithium/sodium ion batteries and Li-S batteries. He is a Fellow of HKIE, AIChE, Global Academy of Chinese Chemical Engineers. He is also elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

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Abstract

To realize a low-carbon economy and sustainable energy supply, the development of energy storage devices has aroused intensive attention. Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are regarded as one of the most promising next-generation battery devices because of their remarkable theoretical energy density, cost-effectiveness, and environmental benignity. However, the practical application of Li-S batteries is hindered by such challenges as low sulfur utilization (< 80%), fast capacity fade, short service life (< 200 redox cycles), and severe self-discharge. The reasons behind the challenges are: (1) low conductivity of the active materials, (2) large volume changes during redox cycling, (3) serious polysulfide shuttling and, (4) lithium-metal anode contamination/corrosion and dendrite formation. Significant achievements have been made to address these problems in the past decade. In this review, the recent advances in material synthesis and technology development are analysed in terms of the electrochemical performance of different Li-S battery components. The critical analysis was conducted based on the merits and shortcomings of the reported work on the issues facing the individual component. A versatile 3D-printing technique is also examined on its practicability for Li-S battery production. The insights on the rational structural design and reasonable parameters for Li-S batteries are highlighted along with the “five 5s” concept from a practical point of view. The remaining challenges are outlined for researchers to devote more efforts on the understanding and commercialization of the devices in terms of the material preparation, cell manufacturing, and characterization.

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Hassan Raza, Songyan Bai, Junye Cheng, Soumyadip Majumder, He Zhu, Qi Liu, Guangping Zheng, Xifei Li, Guohua Chen. Li-S Batteries: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2023, 6(1): DOI:10.1007/s41918-023-00188-4