An efficient, industry-accepted spray drying method was used to synthesize micro-spherical sulfur/graphene oxide (S/GO) composites as cathode materials within lithium sulfur batteries. The as-designed wrapping of the sulfur-nanoparticles, with wrinkled GO composites, was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The unique morphological design of this material enabled superior discharge capacity and cycling performance, demonstrating a high initial discharge capacity of 1400 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C. The discharge capacity remained at 828 mAh g⁻¹ after 150 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance indicates that the S/GO composite improves electrical conductivity and alleviates the shuttle effect. This study represents the first time such a facile spray drying method has been adopted for lithium sulfur batteries and used in the fabrication of S/GO composites.

The commercialization of Lithium-sulfur batteries was limited by the polysulfide shuttle effect, and modifying the routine separator was an effective method to solve this problem. In this work, a novel hierarchically porous polypyrrole sphere (PPS) was successfully prepared by using silica as hard-templates. As-prepared PPS was slurry-coated on the separator, which could reduce the polarization phenomenon of the sulfur cathode, and efficiently immobilize polysulfides. As expected, high sulfur utilization was achieved by suppressing the shuttle effect. When tested in the lithium-sulfur battery, it exhibited a high capacity of 855 mAh·g⁻¹ after 100 cycles at 0.2 C, and delivered a reversible capacity of 507 mAh·g⁻¹ at 3 C, showing excellent electrochemical performance.

Sulfur/ethylenediamine-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (S/EDA-RGO) nanocomposites were synthesized using a simple process. Ethylenediamine (EDA) was employed as both the reducing agent and the modification component. The morphologies, microstructures, and compositions of S/EDA-RGO composites were characterized by various detection techniques. The data indicated that EDA-RGO used as scaffolds for sulfur cathodes could enhance the electronic conductivity of the composites and strengthen the adsorbability of polysulfides. Meanwhile, the electrochemical properties of both S/EDA-RGO and S/RGO composites that were used as cathodes for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries were investigated. The initial discharge capacity of S/EDA-RGO composites reached 1240 mAh g⁻¹, with reversible capacity being maintained at 714 mAh g⁻¹ after 100 cycles. The improvement in cycling stability of S/EDA-RGO composites was further verified at different current rates. These findings demonstrated that proper surface modification of RGO by EDA reducing agent might improve the electrochemical performances of Li–S batteries.