Rational design of sulphur host materials for Li–S batteries: correlating lithium polysulphide adsorptivity and self-discharge capacity loss

A versatile, cost-effective electrochemical analysis strategy is described that determines the specific S(n)(2-) adsorptivity of materials, and allows prediction of the long-term performance of sulphur composite electrodes in Li-S cells. Measurement of nine different materials with varying surface area, and hydrophobicity using this protocol determined optimum properties for capacity stabilization.