One-step synthesis of CeO2/rGO composites for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been considered as a promising high-energy rechargeable battery system. However, their practical implementation is hindered by the insulating nature of sulfur, “shuttle effect” and sluggish polysulfides redox kinetics. In this work, CeO₂/rGO composite was synthesized via one step method and subsequently combined with sulfur under liquid-phase condition to form a ternary CeO₂/rGO/S hybrid for LSBs. CeO₂ nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the reduced graphene oxide carbon plane, alleviating the polysulfides shuttling due to its strong catalytic and polysulfides adsorption. The synergistic effect of CeO₂ and the conductive rGO network significantly enhanced the electrochemical cycling performance and stability of the sulfur cathode. These results demonstrate that this one step synthesized CeO₂/rGO composite‌ serves as a promising cathode host material for LSBs.