Double-Shelled Nanocages with Cobalt Hydroxide Inner Shell and Layered Double Hydroxides Outer Shell as High-Efficiency Polysulfide Mediator for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for next-generation electrochemical energy-storage technologies because of their overwhelming advantages in energy density. Suppression of the polysulfide dissolution while maintaining a high sulfur utilization is the main challenge for Li-S batteries. Here, we have designed and synthesized double-shelled nanocages with two shells of cobalt hydroxide and layered double hydroxides (CH@LDH) as a conceptually new sulfur host for Li-S batteries. Specifically, the hollow CH@LDH polyhedra with complex shell structures not only maximize the advantages of hollow nanostructures for encapsulating a high content of sulfur (75 wt %), but also provide sufficient self-functionalized surfaces for chemically bonding with polysulfides to suppress their outward dissolution. When evaluated as cathode material for Li-S batteries, the CH@LDH/S composite shows a significantly improved electrochemical performance. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.