Environmental Solid Waste-derived Carbon for Advanced Rechargeable Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: A Review

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are lighter and cheaper than today's electrochemical energy storage devices for the forthcoming generations. Particularly the low price and abundance of sulfur as the cathode material, high energy density, and theoretical capacity are delightful characteristics. However, Li-S batteries have many hindrances to attain their commercial applications. Among the challenges are the polysulfide shuttle effect, the insulating property of sulfur, and large volume expansion during charging-discharging processes. Researchers have carried out comprehensive research on the potential solutions to these challenges. Environmental waste-derived carbon has an increasingly important role in the energy storage devices (Li-S batteries) due to their sustainable development, low cost, heteroatom doping, large specific surface area, adjustable pore size, easily available sources, and high electric conductivity, which had a significant effect to enhance electrochemical performance. This review highlighted the research progress on carbon derived from environmental solid wastes for the application of Li-S batteries. Furthermore, the preparation, morphology, and design protocols of carbon derived from solid wastes are elaborated for energy storage devices focused on Li-S batteries. These properties inspire researchers in the rational design of environmental waste-derived carbon materials for sustainable and advanced electrochemical energy storage devices.