Recent progress in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs)-derived nanomaterials for effective lithium polysulfide management in lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have been considered as a promising and competitive option for novel energy storage due to their intrinsically remarkable energy density and low cost. Unfortunately, the commercialization of LSBs is plagued with several notorious drawbacks, especially the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and their sluggish redox kinetics. In this respect, a consensus has been reached that only integrating proper physical/chemical regulation can realize effective LiPS management and lead to overall optimization of LSBs. Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-derived nanomaterials have excellent physical/chemical configurations such as high specific surface area (SSA), sufficient pores, and ample electrocatalytic sites, which make them versatile materials for comprehensive LiPS management. Herein, this timely review first provides a detailed illustration of the progress in physical/chemical methods of LiPS management for LSBs and then discusses the methodology of how to prepare ZIF-derived nanomaterials with various morphologies, structures, and chemical components for the confinement and utility of LiPSs. Finally, we systematically summarize current shortcomings and latent prospects of the application of ZIF-derived nanomaterials. We firmly believe that this review can provide beneficial inspiration for the future development of ZIF-derived nanomaterials for application in LSBs. This review discusses the physical/chemical design methods of ZIF-derived nanomaterials to realize effective lithium polysulfide management and summarizes current shortcomings and latent prospects of the application of ZIF-derived nanomaterials.