Molecularly engineered COF-graphene interlayer boosts Li-S battery performance

Researchers from Lanzhou University, Tohoku University and SRM University have developed a molecularly engineered covalent organic framework (COF)-graphene interface that addresses two persistent challenges in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries: polysulfide shuttling and sluggish conversion kinetics.

Li–S batteries are widely regarded as a next-generation energy storage technology due to sulfur’s high theoretical capacity and natural abundance. However, their practical deployment has been hindered by the dissolution and migration of intermediate lithium polysulfides (Li₂Sₙ), which leads to active material loss, parasitic reactions and rapid capacity decay over repeated cycles. To tackle this issue, the researchers designed a new COF, termed TUS-44, constructed via Schiff-base condensation between a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based tetraaniline node and a benzocrown-6-derived tetrabenzaldehyde linker. The resulting material is an imine-linked, π-conjugated framework with a two-dimensional topology, uniform micropores of approximately 0.9 and 1.2 nm, and a BET surface area of about 516 m² g⁻¹.

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