Nanostructured Host Materials for Trapping Sulfur in Rechargeable Li–S Batteries: Structure Design and Interfacial Chemistry

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as a promising candidate for next‐generation energy‐storage devices due to their high energy density, low cost, and ecofriendliness. However, the practical application of Li–S batteries faces challenges arising from the cathode, the electrolyte, and the anode, including the intrinsically low conductivity of sulfur and lithium sulfide (Li2S), the high solubility of polysulfides in the electrolytes commonly used, and the dendrite growth of metallic lithium anodes. In recent years, much effort has been made to improve the performance of Li–S batteries by modifying the cathode, host material, binder, electrolyte, membrane, anode, and cell configuration. Here, the focus is on the cathode aspect, and the design and surface modification of nanostructured host materials for sulfur and Li2S are investigated in detail. The recent research regarding sulfur host materials for Li–S batteries, including carbon‐based materials, polymers, metal oxides, sulfides, metal–organic frameworks, and carbides is presented. State‐of‐the‐art examples, the mechanisms, strategies, and methodologies of structure design and interfacial chemistry with sulfur species of these host materials, and the challenges and future directions are discussed.