Long-Life and High-Loading All-Solid-State Li-S Batteries Enabled by Acetylene Black with Dispersed Co-N-4 as Single Atom Catalyst

All-solid-state Li-S batteries (ASSLSBs) have exhibited great promise as next-generation energy storage systems due to the elimination of the shuttle effect and flammability. However, the low reactivity of sulfur and poor solid-solid contact in the composite cathode result in limited electrochemical performances. Here, a Co-N-4-decorated carbon composite is prepared by direct ball milling and serves as a sulfur host for ASSLSBs. The uniform distribution of Co-N-4 can effectively accelerate the redox conversion of sulfur and inhibit the agglomeration of sulfur particles during cycling through strong chemical affinity. Benefiting from these merits, the sulfur cathode with a sulfur content of 40% and a sulfur loading of 1.5 mg cm(-2) in ASSLSBs exhibits high reversible capacity (1439 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C) and superior long-term cyclic performance (capacity fade rate of 0.025% per cycle for 1000 cycles at 0.5 C). Even under a sulfur loading up to 4.5 mg cm(-2), the areal capacity can reach 5.13 mAh cm(-2) at 60 degrees C and maintain stable cycling over 300 cycles at 0.3 C. This work offers a promising strategy for enhancing the electrochemical performance of ASSLSBs.