Recent Developments and Prospects on Functional Graphene-Based Nanocomposites as Potential Sulfur Hosts for Next-Generation Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries have been developing in recent years and appear to offer an alternative to existing commercial batteries that can potentially replace them in the future. With their exceptional theoretical energy density, lower production costs, and affordable and environmentally friendly abundant raw materials, lithium-sulfur batteries have shown the ability to defeat counterparts in the race for rechargeable energy devices currently being developed. The lithium-sulfur batteries display extraordinary features, but they suffer from sulfur's non-conductivity, the shuttle effect that results from polysulfide dissolution, volumetric sulfur changes during charging, and dendrites at the anode, resulting in a decline in capacity and a short battery life. As a result of rigorous and innovative engineering designs, lithium-sulfur batteries have been developed to overcome their drawbacks and utilize their entire potential during the past decade. This review will pay particular attention to porous carbon-based matrix materials, especially graphene-based nanocomposites that are most commonly used in producing sulfur cathodes. We provide an in-depth perspective on the structural merits of graphene materials, the detailed mechanism by which they interact with sulfur, and essential strategies for designing high-performance cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries. Finally, we discuss the significant challenges and prospects for developing lithium-sulfur batteries with high energy density and long cycle lives for the next-generation electric vehicles.