A Low-Cost Al(OH)₃-Modified Fire-Retardant and Shuttle-Limiting Separator for Safe and Stable Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur battery (LSB) possesses high theoretical energy density, but its poor cycling stability and safety issues significantly restrict progress in practical applications. Herein, a low-cost and simple Al(OH)₃-based modification of commercial separator, which renders the battery outstanding fire-retardant and stable cycling, is reported. The modification is carried out by a simple blade coating of an ultrathin composite layer, mainly consisting of Al(OH)₃ nanoparticles and conductive carbon, on the cathode side of the separator. The Al(OH)₃ shows strong chemical absorption ability toward Lewis-based polysulfides and outstanding fire retardance through a self-decomposition mechanism under high heat, while the conductive carbon material acts as a top current collector to prevent dead polysulfide. LSB using the Al(OH)₃-modified separator shows an extremely low average capacity decade per cycle during 1000 cycles at 2 C (0.029%, 1 C = 1600 mA g⁻¹). The pouch cell exhibiting high energy density (426 Wh kg⁻¹) can also steadily cycle for more than 100 cycles with high capacity retention (70.2% at 0.1 C). The effectiveness and accessibility of this Al(OH)₃ modification strategy will hasten the practical application progress of LSBs.