Bifunctional Separator with Ultra-Lightweight MnO Coating for Highly Stable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The severe shuttling behavior in the discharging-charging process largely hampers the commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein, we design a bifunctional separator with an ultra-lightweight MnO coating to establish strong chemical adsorption barriers for shuttling effect alleviation. The double-sided polar MnO layers not only trap the lithium polysulfides through extraordinary chemical bonding but also ensure the uniform Li flux on the lithium anode and inhibit the side reaction, resulting in homogeneous plating and stripping to avoid corrosion of the Li anode.