Inhibition of the shuttle effect of lithium–sulfur batteries via a tannic acid-metal one-step in situ chemical film-forming modified separator

Abstract

The dissolution of polysulfides in an electrolyte is a thermodynamically favorable process, which in theory means that the shuttle effect in lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) cannot be completely suppressed. So, it is very important to modify the separator to prevent the migration of polysulfides to the lithium anode. The traditional coating modification process of the separator is cumbersome and uses a solvent that is harmful to the environment, and too many inactive components affect the overall energy density of the battery. It is thus imperative to find a simple and environmentally friendly modification process of the separator. In this study, a fast chemical film-forming method is proposed to modify the separator of a lithium–sulfur battery using tannic acid (TA) and cobalt ions (Co²⁺). This method requires only simple steps and environmentally friendly raw materials to obtain a thin coating (only 5.83 nm) that can effectively inhibit the shuttle effect. The lithium–sulfur battery with the TA–Co separator shows superior long cycle performance. After 500 cycles at 0.5 C, the capacity decay rate of each cycle is only 0.065%. On the other hand, the TA–Co separator can inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites and help to build a stable lithium anode, which can exhibit minimal polarization (56 mV) in a lithium–lithium symmetrical battery at the current density of 2 mA cm⁻². The rapid and simple modification method proposed in this study has a certain reference value for the future large-scale application of lithium sulfur batteries.