Hierarchically porous titanium dioxide as efficient sulfur host for advanced lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries have been considered as the most promising energy storage systems due to their advantages, including high capacity and energy density. The defects of polysulfide migration and sulfur insulating limit the wide application of the lithium–sulfur batteries. Metal oxides and polysulfide have strong affinity and could immobilize the soluble polysulfide, thus inhibiting the shuttle effect. Herein, we introduce the hierarchically porous titanium dioxide to solve the shuttle effect during charging and discharging. This method could significantly improve the cycling stability of the lithium–sulfur batteries. As a result, the hierarchically porous titanium dioxide/sulfur (HPTD/S) composites deliver initial specific capacity of 1186 mAh g−1. This simple and effective strategy can greatly improve the application of lithium–sulfur batteries.