Accelerating Polysulfide Adsorption and Conversion\nfrom the Hybrid Phase of TiO<sub>2</sub> and N‑Doped Carbon\ntoward High-Performance Li–S Batteries

The\ndevelopment of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries\nis highly dependent on overcoming the technical issues such as the\nshuttling behavior of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). In this work,\nwe report a multifunctional layer composed of MXene/ZIF-8 (MXZ) nanohybrids\nto enhance the electrochemical performance of Li–S batteries.\nDuring the preparation of MXZ, ZIF-8 is hybridized with Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub><i>x</i></sub> MXene, where the ZIF-8\nis decorated on the surface of Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>T<sub><i>x</i></sub> MXene by in situ growth. During thermal treatment,\nMXZ developed a hybrid phase of TiO<sub>2</sub> (brookite and rutile)\nas well as N-doped carbon microstructures. Spectroscopic analysis\nconfirms that the complementary contribution by the hybrid phase of\nTiO<sub>2</sub>, N-doped carbon microstructures, plays a critical\nrole as electrocatalysts via efficient adsorption and conversion of\nLiPSs to fulfill high-performance Li–S batteries.