Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are important energy storage devices; however, the
specific energy of existing lithium ion batteries is still insufficient for many applications due to
the limited specific charge capacity of the electrode materials. The recent development of
sulfur/mesoporous carbon nanocomposite cathodes represents a particularly exciting
advance, but in full battery cells, sulfur-based cathodes have to be paired with metallic
lithium anodes as the lithium source, which can result in serious safety issues. Here we …

Sulfur is a promising cathode material for lithium ion batteries due to its high theoretical
specific energy and low raw material cost. Recent advances in rational electrode design
have made progress in overcoming some of the obstacles, such as low conductivity and
poor cycling performance [1]. Despite these advances, safety remains a major concern since
sulfur cathodes are paired with lithium metal anodes; such anodes are known to cause
internal short circuits leading to battery fires. Here we describe a lithium ion battery, based …