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The shuttle effect of polysulfides is a serious issue for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, because it leads to rapid capacity decay. Herein, we present a metal organic foam-derived ZnCo 2 S 4 that is capable of forming polar bonds with soluble polysulfides and improving the binding force to suppress the shuttle effect. The ZnCo 2 S 4 also has a smaller Li ion diffusion barrier energy than ZnCo 2 O 4. ZnCo 2 S 4 grown on conductive carbon cloth facilitates fast electron transfer, while its hierarchical structure accommodates the volumetric expansion of sulfur in Li–S batteries. The ZnCo 2 S 4 /S cathodes exhibit a stable capacity of 833 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1C and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%, along with a high rate-performance after repeated tests; these features indicate a good potential for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur battery cathodes still remain a challenge on capacity decay due to the shuttle effect even though a series of strategies have been tried. Here we report a novel matryoshka-like CuS@void@Co 3 O 4 architecture of double micro-cubes (μ -cubes) that locks sulfur between the CuS core and the Co 3 O 4 shell. Plenty of existing spaces between the μ -cubes suffice a high loading of sulfur and volumetric accommodation. The robust, double closed cubes configuration greatly enhances the confinement of polysulfides. In parallel, the CuS core increases the electronic conductivity and contributes to additional capacity, while the Co 3 O 4 shell ensures a better interface activity. A high Li+ ion diffusion coefficient is obtained during the sulfur and lithium sulfide transformation. The constructed battery displays an initial capacity up to 1480 mAh g−1, and a Coulombic efficiency (CE) exceeding 99%. A capacity retention higher than 500 mAh g−1 with a CE larger than 99.8% after cycling 400 times at 0.2 C are achieved. In addition, under a temperature of −5 °C, a high capacity of 700 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C after 200 cycles is achieved, indicating a good low-temperature tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]