Nanostructured Sulfur and Sulfides for Advanced Lithium/Sulfur Cells

Lithium/sulfur (Li/S) cells that offer high theoretical specific energy (2600 Wh/kg) have been considered for emerging high-energy applications. Significant progress in improving the electrochemical performance of Li/S cells has been made based on the development strategies of the nanostructured sulfur-based electrodes: i) improving the electrical conduction pathway by confining sulfur particles with conductive media, ii) employing sulfur-philic functional nanomaterials to retain sulfur species in the sulfur electrode, iii) constructing rationally designed porous sulfur electrodes to accommodate large amounts of sulfur while maintaining good electronic and ionic conduction pathways. In this Review, recent innovations on nanostructured sulfur-based materials with an emphasis on their nanostructure and reactivity and microstructural design strategies of the sulfur electrode will be highlighted, and future directions to advance the sulfur electrode for commercially viable Li/S cells will be discussed.