A mini-review of metal sulfur batteries

Metal sulfur batteries have become a promising candidate for next-generation rechargeable batteries because of their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, the issues of sulfur cathodes and metal anodes limited their advantages in electrochemical energy storage. Herein, we summarize various metal sulfur batteries based on their principles, properties, and electrochemical behaviors of sulfurs. The bottlenecks and challenges on the basis of sulfur cathodes and metal anodes are analyzed. In particular, metal anode strategies, electrolyte strategies, and various advanced sulfur cathode strategies are proposed. Moreover, the perspectives on the sulfur hosts of high porosity and electrocatalytic phases are highlighted.