A Lithium-Sulfur Cell Based on Reversible Lithium Deposition from a Li 2 S Cathode Host onto a Hostless-Anode Substrate
Here, the development of lithium–sulfur batteries necessitates a thorough understanding of the lithium-deposition process. A novel full-cell configuration comprising an Li 2 S cathode and a bare copper foil on the anode side is presented here. The absence of excess lithium allows for the realization of a truly lithium-limited Li–S battery, which operates by reversible plating and stripping of lithium on the hostless-anode substrate (copper foil). Its performance is closely tied to the efficiency of lithium deposition, generating valuable insights on the role and dynamic behavior of lithium anode. The Li 2 S full cell shows reasonable capacity retention with a Coulombic efficiency of 96% over 100 cycles, which is a tremendous improvement over that of a similar lithium-plating-based full cell with LiFePO 4 cathodes. The exceptional robustness of the Li 2 S system is attributed to an intrinsic stabilization of the lithium-deposition process, which is mediated by polysulfide intermediates that form protective Li 2 S and Li 2 S 2 regions on the deposited lithium. Combined with the large improvements in energy density and safety by the elimination of a metallic lithium anode, the stability and electrochemical performance of the lithium-plating-based Li 2 S full cell establish it as an important trajectory for Li–S battery research, focusing on practical realization of reversible lithium anodes.