The shuttling effect of polysulfides is one of the major problems of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, which causes rapid capacity fading during cycling. Modification of the commercial separator with a functional interlayer is an effective strategy to address this issue. Herein, we modified the commercial Celgard separator of Li-S batteries with one-dimensional (1D) covalent triazine framework (CTF) and a carbon nanotube (CNT) composite as a functional interlayer. The intertwined CTF/CNT can provide a fast lithium ionic/electronic transport pathway and strong adsorption capability towards polysulfides. The Li-S batteries with the CTF/CNT/Celgard separator delivered a high initial capacity of 1314 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and remained at 684 mAh g-1 after 400 cycles-1 at 1 C. Theoretical calculation and static-adsorption experiments indicated that the triazine ring in the CTF skeleton possessed strong adsorption capability towards polysulfides. The work described here demonstrates the potential for CTF-based permselective membranes as separators in Li-S batteries.
Keywords: Li–S batteries; covalent triazine framework; functional interlayer; polysulfide retention; shuttling effect.