Promoting Electrochemical Reactions with Dual-Atom Catalysts for High-Rate Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Sulfur cathodes offer a promising solution for high-energy-density, cost-effective, and sustainable energy storage. However, their practical application is limited by sluggish and complex multistep sulfur redox reactions (SRRs), involving both electrochemical and chemical processes. Herein, it is de...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yu, Jing, Usoltsev, Oleg, Martynova, Irina, Huang, Chen, Liang, Zhifu, Pinto, Iván, Li, Canhuang, Lu, Liqiang, Zhang, Chaoqi, Lu, Xuan, Gupta, Kapil, Botifoll, Marc, Simonelli, Laura, Fauth, François, Zhou, Jin Yuan, Llorca, Jordi, Lu, Yan, Zhang, Chao Yue, Arbiol, Jordi, Cabot, Andreu
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/419485
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/419485
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105016823382
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Carbon nitride
Dual‐atom catalysts
Electrocatalysts
Lithium sulfide nucleation
Lithium–sulfur batteries
Polysulfides
Single‐atom catalysts
Sulfur cathodes
Sulfur reduction reaction
Descripción
Sumario:Sulfur cathodes offer a promising solution for high-energy-density, cost-effective, and sustainable energy storage. However, their practical application is limited by sluggish and complex multistep sulfur redox reactions (SRRs), involving both electrochemical and chemical processes. Herein, it is demonstrated that accelerating electrochemical processes, particularly Li2S nucleation, over competing chemical pathways is fundamental to minimizing sulfur loss and achieving high-rate performance. To this end, a scalable and cost-effective strategy is presented for synthesizing a series of 3d transition metal-bismuth (TM-Bi) atomic pairs anchored on carbon nitride (CN) and investigate their potential to activate SRRs in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). An initial screening identifies Ni-Bi/CN and Co-Bi/CN as highly effective in improving rate performance. Detailed analysis shows these catalysts promote direct electrochemical transitions and rapid Li2S nucleation over competing chemical reactions, enabling high charge-discharge rates while preventing active material loss and enhancing stability. Electrochemical analysis, density functional theory, and operando spectroscopy reveal that TM-Bi pairing shifts d-band states closer to the Fermi level and modulates HOMO-LUMO levels, promoting lithium polysulfide (LiPS) interaction and facilitating efficient charge transfer. These findings offer valuable insights for designing advanced catalysts for LSBs and broader electrocatalytic applications.