Philaphon Sayavong

1 Introduction With the continuous improvement of consumer electronics and electric vehicles, the demand for high energy-density and efficient batteries is also increasing. Concurrently, the commonly used lithium (Li)-ion batteries are reaching their theoretical limit.[1] Switching to Li-metal batteries (LMBs) with highly energy-dense, active Li-metal is crucial for high-performance consumer electronics and electric vehicles.

Abstract The Li-S battery is a promising next-generation battery chemistry that offers high energy density and low cost. The Li-S battery has a unique chemistry with intermediate sulphur species readily solvated in electrolytes, and understanding their implications is important from both practical and fundamental perspectives.

Abstract Rechargeable Li-metal batteries have the potential to more than double the specific energy of the state-of-the-art rechargeable Li-ion batteries, making Li-metal batteries a prime candidate for next-generation high-energy battery technology1,2,3. However, current Li-metal batteries suffer from fast cycle degradation compared with their Li-ion battery counterparts2,3, preventing their practical adoption.