The deployment of Li–S batteries in the commercial sector faces obstacles due to their low electrical conductivity, slow redox reactions, quick fading of capacity, and reduced coulombic efficiency. These issues stem from the “shuttle effect” associated with lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). In this work, a haystack-like CeO₂ derived from a cerium-based metal-organic framework (Ce-MOF) is obtained for the modification of a polypropylene separator. The carbon framework and CeO₂ coexist in this haystack-like structure and contribute to a synergistic effect on the restriction of LiPSs shuttling. The carbon network enhances electron transfer in the conversion of LiPSs, improving the rate performance of the battery. Moreover, CeO₂ enhances the redox kinetics of LiPSs, effectively reducing the “shuttle effect” in Li–S batteries. The Li–S battery with the optimized CeO₂ modified separator shows an initial discharge capacity of 870.7 mAh/g at 2 C, maintaining excellent capacity over 500 cycles. This research offers insights into designing functional separators to mitigate the “shuttle effect” in Li–S batteries.

In this study, we present a novel design methodology for unit cells in chessboard metasurfaces with the aim of reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) for linearly polarized waves. The design employs rotational symmetry and incorporates ten continuous parameters to define the metasurface units, enabling the creation of flexible 2D structures. The geometrical parameters of the two units are then optimized using a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to achieve a low RCS chessboard metasurface. Following optimization, the properties of the metasurface were experimentally verified. The experimental results show a significant RCS reduction of 10 dB within the 7.6–15.5 GHz range, with the peak reduction reaching-28 dB at normal incidence. For a bistatic RCS, the metasurface effectively scatters incident waves into four distinct lobes. The proposed method offers an alternative strategy for the inverse design of low RCS metasurfaces and can be extended to applications in polarization control, phase gradient manipulation, and transmissive metasurfaces.

In this study, we present a novel design methodology for unit cells in chessboard metasurfaces, aimed at reducing the radar cross-section (RCS) for linearly polarized waves. The design employs rotational symmetry and incorporates ten continuous parameters to define the metasurface units, enabling the creation of flexible 2D structures. The geometrical parameters of the two units are then optimized using a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to achieve a low RCS chessboard metasurface. Following optimization, the properties of metasurface were ex perimentally verified. Experimental results show a significant RCS reduction of 10 dB within the 7.6–15.5 GHz range, with a peak reduction reaching-28 dB at normal incidence. For bistatic RCS, the metasurface effectively scatters incident waves into four distinct lobes. The proposed method offers an alternative strategy for the inverse design of low RCS metasurfaces and can be extended to applications in polarization control, phase gradient manipulation, and transmissive metasurfaces.