In Situ Construction of Mo2C-MoS2 Nanospherical Heterostructure for Accelerating the Kinetics of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

The interaction between catalysts and polysulfides plays a crucial role in the redox kinetics of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). However, the role of nanoscale heterostructures formed by non-metal atoms in regulating the electronic state of catalysts is often overlooked. In this work, these electronic states are modulated by in situ constructing a Mo─S heterostructure in a Mo₂C nanosphere. The introduction of sulfur atoms forms the anion heterointerface, altering the coordination environment of interfacial Mo atoms and strengthening Mo─S interactions. This modification significantly enhances lithium polysulfide (LiPS) adsorption and conversion kinetics when using a Mo₂C-MoS₂ heterostructure-modified separator (Mo₂C-MoS₂/PP) in LSBs. Furthermore, Mo₂C-MoS₂/PP effectively suppresses the LiPS shuttle effect and improves cycling stability, achieving a low capacity decay rate of 0.036% per cycle over 500 cycles at 1C. This study proposes a comprehensive approach to modulate metal electronic states by non-metal atoms nanoheterostructure, aiming to enhance the catalytic reaction kinetics of LSBs.