Materials Design and Mechanistic Investigations of Sulfur-based batteries

Increasing urgency of global warming and climate crisis emphasize the significance of the integration of renewable energy resources. Sulfur, as one of the attractive materials with the merits of high abundance, low market prices and high volumetric/gravimetric capacity, receives increasing attention for energy storage technologies like polysulfide-based aqueous redox flow batteries (ARFBs) for long-duration energy storage, and high energy density aprotic lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, sulfur-based batteries are greatly challenged by the short lifetime owing to the shuttle phenomenon as well as the limited power capability from the sluggish kinetics of polysulfide electrochemical reactions. We develop rational materials design strategies and mechanistic investigation methods of polysulfide electrochemical reactions to facilitate the development of sulfur-based batteries in future energy storage landscape.