Anode-less Solid-State Li-S Batteries Enabled by Fe-Stabilized Polysulfides

Journal Article · Thu Mar 05 00:00:00 EST 2026 · ACS Energy Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6c00012· OSTI ID:3022504

Feng, Shijie; Hu, Enyuan; Tan, Sha; Liu, Mengchen; Jia, Yinglu; Zhou, Ke; Yan, Wenlin; Li, Wan-Lu; Brooks, Christopher; Zhou, Jianbin; Liu, Ping

Anode-less solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) with lithium sulfide (Li2S) as the cathode promise a high energy density and ease of manufacturing. However, Li2S is plagued by poor conductivity, sluggish activation kinetics, and a poor cycle life. Here, we report an FeCl3-activated Li2S (FLS) cathode with solid-state polysulfide intermediates generated through a redox reaction between FeCl3 and Li2S. This strategy is shown to boost the electrical conductivity of Li2S by 7 orders of magnitude and lower the activation barrier. During cycling, Fe plays a significant role in stabilizing the highly active polysulfide species, contributing to the exceptional electrochemical performance. The FLS cathode achieves 80% capacity retention over 500 cycles with >99% Li2S utilization. Furthermore, a Li-metal-free (anode-less) full cell retained over 80% of its initial capacity after 240 cycles. This work underscores the promise of leveraging Fe-stabilized polysulfides in enabling high-energy, long-lasting, solid-state Li-S batteries.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab
• Sponsoring Organization: Brookhaven National Lab; USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0012704
• OSTI ID: 3022504
• Report Number(s): BNL-229517-2026-JAAM
• Journal Information: ACS Energy Letters, Journal Name: ACS Energy Letters; ISSN 2380-8195
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE