Effective strategies for stabilizing sulfur for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries Ogechi Ogoke, a Gang Wu, * a Xianliang Wang, a Anix Casimir, a Lu Ma, b Tianpin Wu b and Jun Lu * c The lithium-ion battery, with a relatively small energy density of 250 W h kg 1 , has dominantly powered many devices requiring small energy demands. However, there remains a need for a cheaper and smaller type of battery with higher energy density for energy-intensive storage purposes in the automotive, aircraft, and household energy sectors. With its higher specific capacity (1675 mA h g 1 ) and lower costs, the lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery represents the most promising next generation battery. The main focus of scientific inquiry surrounding Li–S batteries lies at the cathode, where sulfur chemically bonds to lithium. Current challenges pertaining to the high performance cathode such as the dissolution of sulfur into the electrolyte and electrode volume changes are highlighted. This review focuses on recent developments in the last three years of various sulfur integration methods at the cathode that result in improved electrochemical performance, increased energy density, cyclic stability, and a higher capacity over the mainstream lithium-ion battery. In particular, the most recent approaches were systematically examined and compared including the use of carbon and non-carbon composites to stabilize sulfur. Ideal material hosts for sulfur atoms in the cathode for outstanding Li–S batteries were outlined and thoroughly discussed. Critical understanding and relevant knowledge were summarized aiming to provide general guidance for rational design of high-performance cathodes for advanced Li–S batteries. 1. Introduction Battery technology, which rst emerged in the late 19th century, has since grown to become an integral part of the greater energy ecosystem. While there have been a number of developments within the area of battery technology, the most popular one is the Li-ion battery, which has contributed signicantly to the energy infrastructure of society. It ushered Ogechi Ogoke is native New York resident from Bronx, New York. He is a PhD student in Prof. Gang Wu's group at the Univer- sity at Buffalo. He completed his bachelor's degree at the Univer- sity of Maine in chemical engi- neering. His current research focuses on high performance nanostructured materials for Li batteries. Gang Wu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engi- neering at the University at Buffalo (UB), SUNY since August 2014. Prior to joining UB, he was a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) since May of 2010. He completed his PhD studies at the Harbin Institute of Technology in 2004 followed by postdoctoral training at Tsinghua University (2004–2006), the University of South Carolina (2006–2008), and LANL (2008–2010). His research focuses on functional materials and catalysts for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. a Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. E-mail: gangwu@buffalo.edu b X-Ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA c Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA. E-mail: junlu@anl.gov Cite this: DOI: 10.1039/c6ta07864h Received 11th September 2016 Accepted 4th November 2016 DOI: 10.1039/c6ta07864h www.rsc.org/MaterialsA This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016 J. Mater. Chem. A Journal of Materials Chemistry A REVIEW Published on 07 November 2016. Downloaded by University at Buffalo Libraries on 07/12/2016 15:17:33. View Article Online View Journal