Inhibiting the shuttle effect of soluble polysulfides and improving slow reaction kinetics are key factors for the future development of Li-S batteries. Herein, edelweiss shaped NiCo2O4 hollow nanospheres with a high surface area were prepared by a simple template method to modify the separator to realize multiple physical constraints and strong chemical anchoring on the polysulfides. On one hand, the good electrolyte wettability of NiCo2O4 promoted the migration of Li-ions and greatly improved the dynamics. On the other hand, mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanomaterials provided many strong chemical binding sites for loading sulfur species. The hollow structure also provided a physical barrier to mitigate the sulfur species diffusion. Therefore, the modified separator realized multiple physical constraints and strong chemical anchoring on sulfur species. As a result, the sulfur cathode based on this composite separator showed significantly enhanced electrochemical performance. Even at 4 C, a high capacity of 505 mAh g-1 was obtained, and about 80.6% could be retained after 300 cycles.
Keywords: hollow nanospheres; lithium polysulfides; nickel cobaltate; separator modification.