Cation‐Vacancy Engineering Modulated Perovskite Oxide for Boosting Electrocatalytic Conversion of Polysulfides
Zhe Bai, Zhenhua Wang, Tan Wang, Zeyu Wu, Xiaotian Gao, Yu Bai, Guoxiu Wang, Kening Sun
Abstract
Abstract Lithium‐sulfur batteries face challenges like polysulfide shuttle and slow conversion kinetics, hindering their practical applications in renewable energy storage and electric vehicles. Herein, a solution to solve this issue is reported by using a cation vacancy engineering strategy with rational synthesis of La‐deficient LaCoO 3 (LCO‐V La ). The introduction of cation vacancies in LCO‐V La modifies the geometric structure of coordinating atoms, exposing Co‐rich surface with more catalytically active surfaces. Meanwhile, the d‐band center of LCO‐V La shifts toward the Fermi level, enhancing polysulfide adsorption. Furthermore, multivalent cobalt ions (Co 3+ /Co 4+ ) induced by charge compensation enhance the electrical conductivity of LCO‐V La , accelerating electron transfer processes and improving catalytic performance. Theoretical calculations and experimental characterizations demonstrate that La‐deficient LCO‐V La effectively suppresses the polysulfide shuttle, reduces the energy barrier for polysulfide conversion, and accelerates redox reaction kinetics. LCO‐V La ‐based batteries demonstrate exceptional rate performance and cycling stability, retaining 70% capacity after nearly 500 cycles at 1.0 C, with a minimal decay rate of 0.055% per cycle. These findings highlight the significance of cation vacancy engineering for exploring precise structure‐activity relationships during polysulfides conversion, facilitating the rational design of catalysts at the atomic level for lithium‐sulfur batteries.