Metal-free two-dimensional phosphorene-based electrocatalyst with covalent P–N heterointerfacial reconstruction for electrolyte-lean lithium–sulfur batteries

The use of lithium–sulfur batteries under high sulfur loading and low electrolyte concentrations is severely restricted by the detrimental shuttling behavior of polysulfides and the sluggish kinetics in redox processes. Two-dimensional (2D) few layered black phosphorus with fully exposed atoms and high sulfur affinity can be potential lithium–sulfur battery electrocatalysts, which, however, have limitations of restricted catalytic activity and poor electrochemical/chemical stability. To resolve these issues, we developed a multifunctional metal-free catalyst by covalently bonding few layered black phosphorus nanosheets with nitrogen-doped carbon-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (denoted c-FBP-NC). The experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations show that the formed polarized P–N covalent bonds in c-FBP-NC can efficiently regulate electron transfer from NC to FBP and significantly promote the capture and catalysis of lithium polysulfides, thus alleviating the shuttle effect. Meanwhile, the robust 1D-2D interwoven structure with large surface area and high porosity allows strong physical confinement and fast mass transfer. Impressively, with c-FBP-NC as the sulfur host, the battery shows a high areal capacity of 7.69 mAh cm⁻² under high sulfur loading of 8.74 mg cm⁻² and a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 5.7 μL mg⁻¹. Moreover, the assembled pouch cell with sulfur loading of 4 mg cm⁻² and an electrolyte/sulfur ratio of 3.5 μL mg⁻¹ shows good rate capability and outstanding cyclability. This work proposes an interfacial and electronic structure engineering strategy for fast and durable sulfur electrochemistry, demonstrating great potential in lithium–sulfur batteries.