FTIR Spectroscopy Study on Rapid Polysulfide Binding via Caffeine in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are limited by the high mobility of polysulfides in the electrolyte, which allows them to migrate from the cathode to the lithium anode. This is known as polysulfide shuttling and simultaneously diminishes the active material and poisons the anode. Various cathode additives have been shown empirically to mitigate this problem, although the mechanism is not often ascertained experimentally.