Enhanced Basal-Plane Catalytic Activity of MoS₂ by Constructing an Electron Bridge for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Abstract

MoS₂ is a promising sulfur host material for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, but its low conductivity and limited active edge sites largely inhibit the catalytic activity toward the conversion of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Herein, we propose an electron bridge strategy by combining interlayer structure modification and electronic modulation to activate the basal-plane catalytic activity of MoS₂ for the highly efficient catalytic conversion of LiPSs. As validated by experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations, the proposed strategy not only creates a conductive network but also induces delocalized electron redistribution within the MoS₂ basal planes, leading to facilitated interfacial charge transfer kinetics and accelerated LiPSs redox kinetics. Because of these advantages, the Li-S batteries assembled with regulated MoS₂ demonstrate outstanding electrochemical performance even under practical conditions. This work demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of regulating the intrinsic basal-plane catalytic activity of transition-metal dichalcogenides for Li-S batteries and beyond.