About this Research Topic
The spread of portable electronics and electric vehicles has prompted the development of energy storage devices with high energy density and long cycle life. Among the various alternatives, rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li -S) batteries are one of the most attractive candidates for next-generation energy storage technology, owing to their high theoretical energy density, nontoxicity, and low cost. Despite the above-mentioned advantages, Li-S batteries are still challenged by several detrimental effects that hinder their practical application: (1) intrinsic insulating properties of sulfur and its discharge products (Li2S and Li2S2), significantly decreasing the utilization of the active material; (2) dissolution of intermediate lithium polysulfides, which leads to active material loss and the notorious shuttle effect; and (3) uncontrollable dendritic lithium growth on the Li-metal anode during battery charge/discharge, which causes safety hazards and results in low Coulombic efficiency (CE). Strenuous efforts have been pursued to mitigate these detrimental effects, including structural confinement design, conductive composite material fabrication, electrolyte modification, multifunctional polar binders, and interlayer configurations. Of the various strategies, surface and interface engineering is among the most attractive to mitigate the detrimental problems in Li-S batteries.
This Research Topic on surface and interface engineering for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries is expected to provide a forum for scientists to discuss the critical importance of interfacial layer construction on the anode, cathode, and electrolyte for Li-S batteries. For this Research Topic, Original Research papers, Reviews, and short communications are welcomed on the following topics:
- Surface/interface designing on high-capacity anodes and cathodes for Li-S batteries.
- Fundamental investigations on the working mechanisms of the electrode materials, especially the interfacial layer on cathode and anode, by in-situ and ex-situ techniques.
- The optimized designs of electrolytes which can form an effective protection layer for cathode or anode for Li-S batteries.
- Theoretical work on the design for the interfacial layer between electrolyte and electrode.
This Research Topic on surface and interface engineering for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries is expected to provide a forum for scientists to discuss the critical importance of interfacial layer construction on the anode, cathode, and electrolyte for Li-S batteries. For this Research Topic, Original Research papers, Reviews, and short communications are welcomed on the following topics:
- Surface/interface designing on high-capacity anodes and cathodes for Li-S batteries.
- Fundamental investigations on the working mechanisms of the electrode materials, especially the interfacial layer on cathode and anode, by in-situ and ex-situ techniques.
- The optimized designs of electrolytes which can form an effective protection layer for cathode or anode for Li-S batteries.
- Theoretical work on the design for the interfacial layer between electrolyte and electrode.
Keywords: Li-S batteries, interface, cathode, anode, electrolyte
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