Recent progress in research on the shuttle effect and its suppression for lithium sulfur batteries

doi:10.12028/j.issn.2095-4239.2017.0106

Abstract

Abstract: Lithium sulfur batteries, because of their high theoretical specific capacity ~1675mA•h•g1 and energy density ~2600 W•h•kg1, have become the hotspot and keystone of the researches on the next-generation energy storage. Dissolution and the consequent shuttle effect are the main challenges of lithium sulfur batteries which seriously hinder the real application of the batteries. The high solubility of polysulfides in electrolytes generated during the charge-discharge process, results in severe loss of specific capacity. The Li2S2/Li2S deposited on lithium anode also decreases the utilization of active sulfur. Meanwhile, the shuttle is considered as the major reason for the low coulombic efficiency. This review discussed the shuttle mechanism and introduced the recent research progress in physical or chemical shuttle suppression, including the designs related with the cathode, electrolyte and anode. The future research directions and perspective of lithium sulfur batteries were also described.

Key words: lithium sulfur batteries, shuttle, cathode, electrolyte, anode

GU Sui, JIN Jun, LU Yang, QIAN Rong, WEN Zhaoyin. Recent progress in research on the shuttle effect and its suppression for lithium sulfur batteries[J]. Energy Storage Science and Technology, 2017, 6(5): 1026-1040.

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