Dispersing single-layered Ti3C2TX nanosheets in hierarchically-porous membrane for high-efficiency Li+ transporting and polysulfide anchoring in Li-S batteries

Practical application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with high areal capacity remains a challenge due to shuttle effect of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, a hierarchically porous membrane loaded with fully dispersed single-layered MXene is fabricated via a facile phase inversion method for a high-areal-capacity Li-S battery. The 3D hierarchical porous structure can strengthen Li+ and electron transporting, accommodate the volumetric expansion of sulfur, enable high sulfur loading and provide ample active sites for LiPSs anchoring. More importantly, the Ti3C2Tx nanosheets disperse uniformly in the framework prevents restacking of the MXenes layer, which makes full use of both sides of the nanosheets, thus further improves the diffusion of Li+ and enriches active sites for adsorption and catalysis of LiPSs. Benefitting from the above-multiplexed functionality, the Li-S batteries show high specific capacity and cycle stability at high sulfur loading. The proposed facile strategy sheds inspiring insights on the design of novel cathode materials for high-areal-capacity Li-S batteries.