Ru Single Atom Dispersed on MoS₂/MXene for Enhanced Sulfur Reduction Reaction in Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

The high theoretical energy density (2600 Wh kg⁻¹) and low cost of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) make them an ideal alternative for the next-generation energy storage system. Nevertheless, severe capacity degradation and low sulfur utilization resulting from shuttle effect hinder their commercialization. Herein, Single-atom Ru-doped 1T/2H MoS₂ with enriched defects decorates V₂C MXene (Ru–MoS₂/MXene) produced by a new phase-engineering strategy employed as sulfur host to promote polysulfide adsorption and conversion reaction kinetics. The Ru single atom-doped adjusts the chemical environment of the MoS₂/MXene to anchor polysulfide and acts as an efficient center to motivate the redox reaction. In addition, the rich defects of the MoS₂ and ternary boundary among 1T/2H MoS₂ and V₂C accelerate the charge transfer and ion movements for the reaction. As expected, the Ru–MoS₂/MXene/S cathode-based cell exhibits a high-rate capability of 684.3 mAh g⁻¹ at 6 C. After 1000 cycles, the Ru–MoS₂/MXene/S cell maintains an excellent cycling stability of 696 mAh g⁻¹ at 2 C with a capacity degradation as low as 0.02% per cycle. Despite a high sulfur loading of 9.5 mg cm⁻² and a lean electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio of 4.3, the cell achieves a high discharge capacity of 726 mAh g⁻¹.