Synergistic Catalysis on Dual-Atom Sites for High-Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries promise ultrahigh theoretical energy density and attract great attention as next-generation energy storage devices. However, the sluggish sulfur redox kinetics severely restricts the practical performances of Li–S batteries. Introducing electrocatalysts can accelerate the sulfur redox kinetics and enhance the discharge capacity and rate performances, where advanced electrocatalysts are required for better performance promotion. Herein, a Fe–Co-based dual-atom catalyst (DAC) is adopted to accelerate the sulfur redox kinetics and construct high-performance Li–S batteries. The unique structure of the dual-atom site allows synergistic effect between the adjacent metal atoms, thus enhancing the interactions with lithium polysulfides and promoting the sulfur redox kinetics over the single-atom counterparts. As a result, Li–S batteries with DAC afford a high discharge capacity of 1034.6 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and excellent rate performances of 728.0 mAh g−1 at 4.0 C. The introduction of DAC demonstrates the promising potential of applying advanced materials for constructing high-performance Li–S batteries.