Two-dimensional vermiculite separator for lithium sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries have been considered as one of the most promising battery system for their high theoretical energy density. However, the lithium-sulfur batteries suffer from the dissolution and diffusion of polysulfides, which induce parasitic reactions with lithium metal anodes. The safety of lithium-sulfur batteries is also concerned with the risk of dendrite growth on lithium metal anodes. To simultaneously address the challenges in the shuttle effect and safety problems, we demonstrate herein a two-dimensional vermiculite separator. With the assembly of the 2D exfoliated vermiculite sheets, the vermiculite separator can suppress the diffusion of polysulfides across the separator through electrostatic interaction and steric hindrance. Meanwhile, the inorganic sheets with high strength and Young's modulus prevent the penetration of lithium metal dendrite and potentially improve the safety of the system. This work elucidates a promising strategy for safe and stable lithium sulfur batteries, and can also be extended to other electrochemical systems based on metal anodes.