Dynamic Hosts for High-Performance Li–S Batteries Studied by Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy and in Situ X‑ray Diffraction

Developing a high-performance sulfur host is central to the commercialization and general development of lithium–sulfur batteries. Here, for the first time, we propose the concept of dynamic hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries and elucidate the mechanism through which TiS₂ acts in such a fashion, using in situ X-ray diffraction and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM). A TiS₂–S composite electrode delivered a reversible capacity of 1120 mAh g^–1 at 0.3 C after 200 cycles with a capacity retention of 97.0% and capacities of 886 and 613 mAh g^–1 at 1.0 C up to 200 and 1000 cycles, respectively. Our results indicate that it is Li_<i>x</i>TiS₂ (0 < <i>x</i> ≤ 1), rather than TiS₂, that effectively traps polysulfides and catalytically decomposes Li₂S