Catalytic current collectors for lithium‑sulfur batteries: Polysulfide regulation and beyond

Lithium‑sulfur batteries (LSBs) are promising for next-generation energy storage due to their high theoretical energy density. However, their practical applications are impeded by challenges such as the polysulfide shuttle effect, the insulating nature of sulfur, and significant volume expansion, which impair cycle life and areal capacity. To overcome these obstacles, catalytic current collectors offer an effective solution by acting not merely as passive carriers, but as active modulators that catalyze lithium polysulfide conversion. The design principles, recent progress, and performance of such collectors are reviewed herein. Specifically, this analysis focuses on material design (metal compounds, heterostructures and functionalized carbons) and structural engineering (three dimensional conductive networks, gradient architectures and integrated current collector/interlayer) to enable high-loading cathodes with efficient kinetics. Moreover, it reviews how these strategies synergize rapid charge transfer, reversible polysulfide chemisorption, and electrocatalytic conversion to surmount the shuttle effect and sluggish kinetics. Ultimately, this review proposes future research directions to bridge lab-scale innovations with industrial scalability, paving the way for the commercialization of advanced LSBs.