Research progress and potential materials of porous thick electrode with directional structure for lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have received much attention due to their high energy density (2600 Wh Kg −1 ). Extensive efforts have been made to further enhance the overall energy density by increasing S loading. Thick electrodes can substantially improve the loading mass of S, which offers new ideas for designing Li–S batteries. However, the poor ion transport performance in thick electrodes results in significantly electrochemical performance deterioration. Converting thick electrodes into the electrodes with high directional channels can effectively address the problems caused by the increase in electrode thickness. In this review, the recent progress of thick electrodes with oriented structures for Li–S batteries is reviewed. As a newly developed electrode, some materials that have the potential for fabricating thick electrode for Li–S batteries are summarized, here focusing on carbon-based materials, we discuss the prospects of porous carbon materials with oriented structures for thick electrodes, and look forward to their future, opportunities and challenges. Finally, a point of view on the development of directional structured thick electrodes is presented.