Design Strategies Based on Electronic Interactions for Effective Catalysts in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Abstract

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered promising next-generation batteries due to their high energy density (>500 W h kg−1). However, LSBs exhibit an unsatisfactory energy density (<400 W h kg−1) and cycle life (<300 cycles) because of the shuttle effect caused by soluble lithium polysulfide (LiPS) intermediates and the sluggish conversion reaction kinetics caused by insulating sulfur (S8) and lithium sulfide (Li2S). Although various types of catalysts, including metal-based compounds to single-atom catalysts, have been reported to address these issues, most catalysts exhibited limited catalytic activity under practical lean electrolyte conditions (<5 µL mg−1). A comprehensive understanding of the synthetic strategy and catalytic mechanism of catalysts is essential for their design, but understanding the electronic effects of the catalysts and LiPS is more important. Furthermore, the electronic design of these catalysts is not well understood. In this review, we introduce the catalytic mechanisms in LSBs and discuss catalyst design strategies in terms of electronic effects on the interactions between reactants and catalysts, with a primary focus on heterogeneous catalytic systems. We additionally consider how the electronic property of homogeneous systems, particularly redox mediators, affects catalytic behavior under lean electrolyte conditions and propose future research directions for catalyst development in LSBs.