Lithium-sulfur batteries engage widespread attention due to their high theoretical capacity in recent years. However, the shuttle effect and some other issues are not thoroughly solved at present. Here, VO2 nanotubes with relatively higher redox potential (than sulfur) are in situ compounded with graphene (G) for constructing an effective VO2/G binary sulfur host. In such a binary host, VO2 nanotubes are able to chemically adsorb soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and optimize their electrochemical conversion kinetics, thereby, inhibiting the shuttle effect of LiPSs. In addition, the presence of graphene can be capable of improving the electronic conductivity of the cathode material and reducing the polarization of the whole electrode. Impressively, the final fabricated VO2/G/S electrode delivers large specific capacity, good rate performance and stable cycling performance, which holds great potential for different applications.
