Lithium-sulfur batteries achieve high cyclability and ultralow decay

Lithium-sulfur batteries, with their low cost and high energy density, would be a promising technology for next-generation energy storage were it not for the fundamental challenges, such as rapid capacity decay and short cycle life.

Sang et al. took a holistic material design angle to integrate physical confinement, chemical adsorption, and electrocatalysis with the aim of making improved lithium-sulfur batteries. Starting from the ground up, the researchers created a unique nanoreactor structure by synthesizing nitrogen-doped carbon hollow nanospheres anchored with NiO/Ni nanoparticles using a sacrificial-template method.

Testing showed the cathode had high cyclability, retaining 438 milliampere-hours per gram after 500 cycles, and maintained an ultralow decay rate — only 0.089% per cycle. In-situ Raman spectroscopy during battery operation revealed how the catalyst actively promoted polysulfide conversion.

“We are most excited by the direct spectroscopic evidence of accelerated reaction kinetics and the exceptional long-term cycling stability achieved,” said author Xianghong Liu. “By effectively mitigating the shuttle effect and improving cycling stability, this material design paves the way for batteries with longer lifespans and greater reliability, accelerating the adoption of this promising technology.”

The authors intend to continue optimizing the nanoreactor design, exploring different metal compound catalysts, and scaling up the synthesis process. They also plan to investigate constructing cells by integrating the cathode with advanced electrolytes and lithium metal anodes.

“We hope this work can be applied as a foundational design strategy for developing high-performance, commercially viable lithium-sulfur batteries,” Liu said. “The nanoreactor concept could be scaled up for use in next-generation energy storage systems that require high energy density, such as electric vehicles and grid-scale storage.”

Source: “Catalytic NiO/Ni/N-doped carbon nanoreactors for suppressing polysulfide shuttle: In-situ Raman spectroscopic validation,” by Huimin Sang, Ziying Shi, Jun Zhang, and Xianghong Liu, Applied Physics Letters (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0290830 .

This paper is part of the Advances in Inelastic Light Scattering Spectroscopies Collection, learn more here .