Customized Nano‐Confinement Effects of Metal‐Organic Frameworks for High‐Performance Lithium‐Sulfur Batteries

Abstract Lithium‐sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered one of the most promising next‐generation energy storage devices due to their significant theoretical energy density and high specific capacity of sulfur cathode. However, several critical challenges still must be addressed for practical application. The shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics severely impact their performance. Metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered significant interest attributed to their high structural tunability. Their ability to nano‐confine lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) can be precisely controlled at the molecular level by regulating metal centers and organic ligands, thereby suppressing the shuttle effect and improving the electrochemical performance of LSBs. This review summarizes the nano‐confinement effects of MOFs in LSBs, and the discussion is divided into the selective confinement, repulsion, and nano‐confined adsorption by inert MOFs, as well as nano‐confined catalysis facilitated by catalytically active MOFs. Furthermore, the existing challenges and future prospects for application of MOFs in LSBs are proposed.