Oxygen-Doped MoS2 with Expanded Interlayer Spacing for Rapid and Stable Polysulfide Conversion

Lithium–sulfur batteries face challenges such as the polysulfide shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics, leading to poor sulfur utilization and limited cyclic stability. Herein, an oxygen-doped engineering approach is presented to achieve pillar-free interlayer extension of MoS₂ (E-MoS₂) for lithium polysulfide conversion. E-MoS₂ features expanded interlayer spacing (from 0.63 to 0.95 nm), improved conductivity, and an optimized Mo d band center, which collectively enhances polysulfide conversion efficiency. Consequently, cathodes with E-MoS₂ deliver a capacity of 638 mAh g⁻¹ after 600 cycles at 2 C (0.046% decay/cycle) and an areal capacity of 12.0 mAh cm⁻² under practical conditions (12 mg cm⁻² S loading, E/S = 4 µL mg⁻¹). This work highlights interlayer engineering as a key strategy for optimizing MoS₂ catalysts in conversion-type batteries.