Multifunctional SnO2 QDs/MXene Heterostructures as Laminar Interlayers for Improved Polysulfide Conversion and Lithium Plating Behavior

Abstract

Poor cycling stability in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries necessitates advanced electrode/electrolyte design and innovative interlayer architectures. Heterogeneous catalysis has emerged as a promising approach, leveraging the adsorption and catalytic performance on lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) to inhibit LiPSs shuttling and improve redox kinetics. In this study, we report an ultrathin and laminar SnO2@MXene heterostructure interlayer (SnO2@MX), where SnO2 quantum dots (QDs) are uniformly distributed across the MXene layer. The combined structure of SnO2 QDs and MXene, along with the creation of numerous active boundary sites with coordination electron environments, plays a critical role in manipulating the catalytic kinetics of sulfur species. The Li–S cell with the SnO2@MX-modified separator not only demonstrates superior electrochemical performance compared to cells with a bare separator but also induces homogeneous Li deposition during cycling. As a result, an areal capacity of 7.6 mAh cm−2 under a sulfur loading of 7.5 mg cm−2 and a high stability over 500 cycles are achieved. Our work demonstrates a feasible strategy of utilizing a laminar separator interlayer for advanced Li–S batteries awaiting commercialization and may shed light on the understanding of heterostructure catalysis with enhanced reaction kinetics. (Figure presented.)