Lithium–Sulfur Batteries with the Lowest Self-Discharge and the Longest Shelf life

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are promising as a next-generation energy-storage device because their energy density is higher than that of current Li-ion technology. However, in comparison to Li-ion batteries, Li–S batteries encounter much faster self-discharge and shorter shelf life. Unfortunately, the lack of literature against the realities of severe self-discharge makes developing a practically viable Li–S technology a daunting challenge. We present here low self-discharge (LSD) Li–S batteries that have the lowest self-discharge constant of 0.0022 per day and the longest shelf life of one year. The superior electrochemical stability of the LSD Li–S batteries is reflected in a low capacity-fade rate of only 0.14% per day over the extended experimental time period. In addition, an analysis of the Li–S articles investigating the self-discharge effect in the literature reveals that the LSD Li–S batteries presented here offer a greater than 12-fold improvement in the cell shelf life with good cycling stability.