Vacancy-Rich MoSSe with Sulfiphilicity–Lithiophilicity Dual Function for Kinetics-Enhanced and Dendrite-Free Li-S Batteries
Hong Li, Runhua Gao, Biao Chen, Chao Zhou, Feng Shao, Hao Wei, Zhiyuan Han, Nantao Hu, Guangmin Zhou
Abstract
The sluggish redox kinetics of sulfur and the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites are two main challenges that impede the practical applications of lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In this study, a multifunctional host with vacancy-rich MoSSe vertically grown on reduced graphene oxide aerogels (MoSSe/rGO) is designed as the host material for both sulfur and lithium. The embedding of Se into a MoS2 lattice is introduced to improve the inherent conductivity and generate abundant anion vacancies to endow the 3D conductive graphene based aerogels with specific sulfiphilicity–lithiophilicity. As a result, the assembled Li-S batteries based on MoSSe/rGO exhibit greatly improved capacity and cycling stability and can be operated under a lean electrolyte (4.8 μL mg–1) and a high sulfur loading (6.5 mg cm–2), achieving a high energy density. This study presents a unique method to unlock the catalysis capability and improve the inherent lithiophilicity by heteroatom doping and defect chemistry for kinetics-enhanced and dendrite-free Li-S batteries.