Cathode Design for High‐Performance Li–S Batteries: A Brief Review

Résumé fourni par la source

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are an interesting new energy storage alternative because of their high capacity (1675 mAh g −1 ), low manufacturing costs, and the high availability of sulfur. Still, even with great progress, certain issues like poor sulfur conductivity, the loss of elemental sulfur and movement of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and extreme volume expansion make them unsuitable for mass production. This review offers a comprehensive, up‐to‐date roadmap through state‐of‐the‐art cathode designs, focusing on how recent advances in porous carbon hosts, doped and defect‐engineered graphene, and robust metal‐based compounds have progressively overcome core bottlenecks by combining electron/ion conduction, physical confinement, and strong chemical binding. The detail progression from early carbon‐based hosts often limited by weak polysulfide retention and sluggish redox kinetics to modern composite frameworks that integrate hierarchical porosity, heteroatom doping, and catalytic interfaces, sharply improving cycle life and reversible capacity at realistic sulfur loadings. Metal‐based hosts and hybrid materials, including transition metal sulfides, oxides, and single‐atom catalysts, are shown to greatly accelerate redox chemistry. The review demonstrates that individual strategy fails to solve all challenges associated with LSBs so it supports integrated design which combines chemistry with structural engineering and computational innovations to create complete solutions. We discuss the transformative role of in situ and operando characterization, machine learning, and open data benchmarking, which now make it possible to quickly identify and optimize hosts, understand mechanisms, and push LSBs toward commercial requirements. Special attention is given to emerging material classes like high‐entropy alloys and covalent organic frameworks, as well as to sustainable design and recycling. By connecting innovations in materials, architecture, and advanced analytics, this review not only summarizes the latest scientific progress, but also identifies the shared strategies likely to drive LSBs from continued hype to practical deployment in real‐world applications.

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