Recent advances in plant-derived porous carbon for lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have garnered considerable attention as one of the most promising candidates for future energy storage systems. Electrochemical reactions based on lithium and sulfur exhibit remarkable characteristics, including high specific energy density (2600 Wh kg- 1) and high theoretical specific capacity (1675 mAh g- 1), equivalent to three to five times those of lithium-ion batteries. However, the low electrical conductivity of sulfur, shuttle effect of polysulfides, and issue of volume expansion during charge-discharge processes hinder the commercial application of LSBs. Among numerous sulfur host materials, plant-derived porous carbon materials are specifically promising owing to their strong physical and chemical adsorption, cost-effectiveness, abundant sources, and environmental friendliness. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the application of plant-derived porous carbon materials in LSBs. Furthermore, we summarize recent methods for preparing porous carbon derived from plant sources and discuss the influence of the composition and structure of plant precursors on the structure of the resulting product, focusing on their structure-property relationship concerning the electrochemical performance in LSBs. An analysis and summary of the issues associated with plant-derived porous carbon materials in LSBs are provided, along with an outlook on their research prospects.