Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Overview and Advances

In recent years lithium-sulfur batteries have received increasing attention from various research groups owing to their high theoretical specific energy density. The high energy storage required by extended range electric vehicles justifies the research effort that is still necessary to overcome the existing significant obstacles to realize in practice the theoretical high energy density. In this review, after a brief overview of the current context and scientific/technical challenges for the development of lithium-sulfur batteries, some advances in the knowledge of electrochemical mechanism occurring in lithium-sulfur batteries, in exploring cathodes, separators, electrolytes have been reported. Particular emphasis has been devoted to major developments of novel lithium-sulfur battery configurations by research groups active in the field for decades, proposed in the logic of system materials engineering.