Solvation Reprogramming With Dual Cations Enables Catalytic Polysulfide Conversion and Stable Sodium Metal for Long‐Life Na‐S Batteries

ABSTRACT The practical development of room‐temperature sodium‐sulfur batteries faces significant challenges, primarily stemming from the polysulfide shuttle effect and the instability of the sodium anode. In this study, we propose a dual‐cation electrolyte engineering strategy that simultaneously addresses both bottlenecks by introducing K + into the conventional NaPF 6 /1‐ethoxy‐2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethane electrolyte. The larger ionic radius and lower Lewis acidity of K + competitively modified the Na + solvation structure, weakening Na−Solvent interactions and reorganizing the solvation shell into contact ion pairs (CIPs), thus promoting the formation of inorganic‐rich solid electrolyte interphase. Theoretical calculations reveal that dominant NaKS x intermediates adsorbed via Na sites weaken S─S and Na─S bonds with dual‐cation induced charge delocalization, establishing catalytic cycle that lowers the kinetic barrier and relieves polysulfide shuttling. Meanwhile, the dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions are further suppressed within electrostatic shielding evoked by introduced K + . Consequently, a symmetric full cell architecture, with concave hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres as both sulfur cathode matrix and sodiophilic anode coating, achieves a record lifespan of 10,000 cycles and a high‐capacity retention of 95.3% at 10 A g −1 and high energy density of 223 Wh kg −1 for pouch cell. This work offers a comprehensive design strategy, advancing practical metal‐sulfur batteries through electrolyte solvation and electrode interface engineering.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-07-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.74296
Primary Topic
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Solvation Reprogramming With Dual Cations Enables Catalytic Polysulfide Conversion and Stable Sodium Metal for Long‐Life Na‐S Batteries

Xiaoyu Cheng, Zhenhai Wen, Huiling Fang, Ao Chen et al.
Advanced Materials
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
article

Solvation Reprogramming With Dual Cations Enables Catalytic Polysulfide Conversion and Stable Sodium Metal for Long‐Life Na‐S Batteries

Xiaoyu Cheng, Zhenhai Wen, Huiling Fang, Ao Chen, Lihong Xu, Mujtaba Aminu Muhammad, Xiang Ming Hu, Junxiang Chen, Puwu Liang, Ahmed Abdel‐Aziz
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The practical development of room‐temperature sodium‐sulfur batteries faces significant challenges, primarily stemming from the polysulfide shuttle effect and the instability of the sodium anode. In this study, we propose a dual‐cation electrolyte engineering strategy that simultaneously addresses both bottlenecks by introducing K + into the conventional NaPF 6 /1‐ethoxy‐2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethane electrolyte. The larger ionic radius and lower Lewis acidity of K + competitively modified the Na + solvation structure, weakening Na−Solvent interactions and reorganizing the solvation shell into contact ion pairs (CIPs), thus promoting the formation of inorganic‐rich solid electrolyte interphase. Theoretical calculations reveal that dominant NaKS x intermediates adsorbed via Na sites weaken S─S and Na─S bonds with dual‐cation induced charge delocalization, establishing catalytic cycle that lowers the kinetic barrier and relieves polysulfide shuttling. Meanwhile, the dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions are further suppressed within electrostatic shielding evoked by introduced K + . Consequently, a symmetric full cell architecture, with concave hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres as both sulfur cathode matrix and sodiophilic anode coating, achieves a record lifespan of 10,000 cycles and a high‐capacity retention of 95.3% at 10 A g −1 and high energy density of 223 Wh kg −1 for pouch cell. This work offers a comprehensive design strategy, advancing practical metal‐sulfur batteries through electrolyte solvation and electrode interface engineering.

Advanced Materials
Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN), Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Fujian University of Technology (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies
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