Metal Catalyst Embedded Carbon-Sulfur Composite Cathodes for High Performance Lithium-Sulfur batteries

Iron, cobalt co-embedded in situ graphitized xerogel-derived carbon is a highly effective sulfur host material tailored for advanced lithium–sulfur battery systems. Xerogels provide a lightweight, highly porous carbon matrix, but their intrinsic non-polar nature limits polysulfide anchoring and long-term cyclability. To address these issues, Fe–Co dual-metal doping is introduced into the carbon xerogel framework, creating abundant polar catalytic sites capable of strongly adsorbing and converting lithium polysulfides. The synergistic effect of the conductive carbon backbone and the catalytic Fe/Co centers significantly enhances polysulfide confinement, improves reaction kinetics, and reduces shuttle effects. The resulting Fe–Co doped xerogel/S composite demonstrates high specific discharge capacity, excellent rate performance, and remarkable cycling stability. Strong chemical interactions between Fe/Co sites and polysulfides, combined with the hierarchical porosity of the xerogel, enable high sulfur utilization and long cycle life, positioning the material as a strong candidate for next-generation Li–S batteries.