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The interfacial instability of the lithium-metal anode and shuttling of lithium polysulfides in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries hinder the commercial application. Herein, we report a bifunctional electrolyte additive, i.e., 1,3,5-benzenetrithiol (BTT), which is used to construct solid-electrolyte interfaces (SEIs) on both electrodes from in situ organothiol transformation. BTT reacts with lithium metal to form lithium 1,3,5-benzenetrithiolate depositing on the anode surface, enabling reversible lithium deposition/stripping. BTT also reacts with sulfur to form an oligomer/polymer SEI covering the cathode surface, reducing the dissolution and shuttling of lithium polysulfides. The Li-S cell with BTT delivers a specific discharge capacity of 1,239 mAh g-1 (based on sulfur), and high cycling stability of over 300 cycles at 1C rate. A Li-S pouch cell with BTT is also evaluated to prove the concept. This study constructs an ingenious interface reaction based on bond chemistry, aiming to solve the inherent problems of Li-S batteries.
Guo et al. (Fri,) studied this question.