Nano-MgO/AB decorated separator to suppress shuttle effect of lithium–sulfur battery

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are regarded as one of the most promising energy storage systems owing to their high specific energy, low cost and eco-friendliness. However, significant capacity fading caused by the shuttle of soluble polysulfides from the cathode to the anode significantly hampers their practical application. Here, we designed a nano-MgO/acetylene black (AB) decorated functional separator to suppress the shuttle of polysulfide intermediates, which can remarkably improve the electrochemical performance of Li–S batteries. Nano-MgO with the aid of the AB conductive network exhibits superior adsorption to polysulfides due to the synergistic effect of excellent chemisorption and improved electron conductivity. The electrochemical performance of the Li–S battery highly depends on the relative amount of nano-MgO and AB in the composite coating on the separator. A battery with the optimal decorated separator (MgO-25 separator, nano-MgO and acetylene black in the weight ratio 1 : 3) exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 1238 mA h g(−1) with high coulombic efficiency (∼97%) and retains a high capacity of 875 mA h g(−1) after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. This study promotes the understanding of the synergistic effect of the polysulfide adsorbent and the conductive agent on the suppression of the shuttle effect, and provides a way to design polysulfide-blocking barriers for Li–S batteries.