Nanocellulose and Its Derivatives toward Advanced Lithium Sulfur Batteries

Lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs) with a potentially high energy density are regarded as one of the most promising next-generation battery technologies. Nevertheless, the further development of LSBs is greatly hindered by some scientific issues, such as severe polysulfide shuttling and irreversible Li stripping/plating. Nanocellulose-based materials have triggered extensive attention in the development of advanced LSBs, because of their abundant source, good biodegradability and renewability, excellent mechanical and thermal properties, and flexible chemical tunability. In this perspective, we first present the fundamental operating principle and outline the main challenges of LSBs. Subsequently, the structure and properties of nanocellulose are briefly summarized, and the main research advancements of nanocellulose and its derivatives toward advanced LSBs are comprehensively reviewed. At last, the outlook with regard to the development of nanocellulose-based materials and their application in LSBs is provided.