One-dimensional confined ZnS@NiO p-n junctions significantly enhancing polysulfides redox kinetics

Despite their high theoretical capacity, lithium-sulfur batteries (Li-S) are hindered by intrinsic conductivity constraints and polysulfide shuttling. This study presents a scalable fabrication strategy for ZnS@NiO nanofiber electrocatalysts, where ZnS templates precisely control the growth of NiO nanosheets, and the engineered p-n heterojunction optimizes interfacial charge transfer kinetics. Remarkably, the synthesized ZnS@NiO catalyst demonstrates unprecedented electrochemical stability, maintaining a capacity decay rate of merely 0.039 % per cycle throughout 1000 cycles at 3 C current density. Through a combination of theoretical calculations and electrochemical analyses, it is demonstrated that ZnS@NiO exhibits strong adsorption properties, excellent catalytic activity, and a lowered energy barrier for the decomposition of lithium polysulfides. This innovative design paradigm offers not only substantial improvements in energy and power densities but also represents a significant advancement towards the practical realization of high-performance Li-S batteries.