Rational design of a functional interlayer to simultaneously suppress lithium polysulfides shuttling and facilitate Li-ion migration for high-performance Li-S battery

•Rational structure and composition design of interlayer was fabricated with modified phase inversion method.•This interlayer can physically block the shuttle of LiPSs with dense surface layer.•This interlayer can chemically capture and convert LiPSs with abundant Co nanoparticles in the honeycomb-like pores.•This interlayer can facilitate Li+ migration with abundant pyridinic N sites.•The Li-S battery assembled with this interlayer exhibits excellent performance under high current density.