Research Progress on Catalyst Materials for Lithium-Sulfur Battery Separator Modification

Lithium-sulfur batteries are regarded as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density (2600 W·h·kg−1) and high theoretical specific capacity (1675 mA·h·g−1). However, the “shuttle effect” caused by polysulfide (LiPSs) migration during charging and discharging leads to low active material utilization, corrosion of the lithium anode, and rapid capacity decay. Consequently, functionalizing separators with novel catalytic materials has emerged as a key strategy to suppress shuttling and enhance reaction kinetics. This review systematically elucidates the operating principles and critical challenges of lithium-sulfur batteries, comprehensively reviews research progress on various catalyst materials for separator modification, and outlines future development directions to provide guidance for the functional design of key materials.