Enhancing lithium-sulfur battery performance with In2O3-In2S3@NSC heterostructures: Synergistic effects of double barrier and catalytic transformation

The sluggish redox reaction kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) are considered the main obstacle to the commercial application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. To accelerate the conversion by catalysis and inhibit the shuttling of soluble LiPSs in Li-S batteries, a solution is proposed in this study. The solution involves fabrication of N, S co-doped carbon coated In2O3/In2S3 heterostructure (In2O3-In2S3@NSC) as a multifunctional host material for the cathode. The In2O3-In2S3@NSC composite can reduce the Gibbs free energy for the conversion reactions of LiPSs, which results in superior performance. The synergy between different components in In2O3-In2S3@NSC and the unique 3D structure facilitate ion and electron transport in Li-S batteries. The In2O3-In2S3@NSC/Li2S6 cathode exhibits excellent rate capacity, with a capacity of 599 mAh g−1 at 5.5 C, and good cycle stability, with a capacity of 436 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 C. Overall, this study proposes a promising solution to improve the energy storage properties of Li-S batteries, which could potentially facilitate the commercialization of Li-S batteries.