Application of MXene-Based Materials for Cathode in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries (Invited Review)

The lithium-sulfur (Li−S) batteries have a high theoretical specific capacity of 1675 mAh ⋅ g⁻¹ and have become the most promising high-energy storage system for the next generation batteries technology. However, their applications are hindered by insulated feature and volume expansion of sulfur, as well as the “shuttle effect” of polysulfides. MXenes own metallic conductivity and strong ability of polysulfides adsorption. Besides, their unique two-dimensional (2D) structure, large specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and adjustability are beneficial to overcome the drawbacks of the sulfur cathode. In this review, different mainstream preparation methods and excellent properties of MXenes are summarized. Significant achievements and recent progress of MXene-based cathodes and interlayers applied to Li−S cathodes are concluded later. Finally, the challenges, possible solutions and potential applications of MXenes for Li−S batteries are also presented.