Bimetallic Ni <sub>3</sub> Fe/Ni <sub>2</sub> Fe <sub>2</sub> N Catalyst With Optimized <i>d</i> ‐Band Center for High‐Efficiency Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

X Xiuyun Fan (Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Liaocheng University Liaocheng P. R. China) X Xiyu He (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry (Ministry of Education) School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Shandong University Jinan China) B Bin Wang L Lingtong Kong (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) M Muhammad Mamoor (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) Y Yueyue Kong (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) D Dedong Wang (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) L Lu Wang G Guangmeng Qu (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) Z Zhongxin Jing (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) M MingYu Dou (Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Liaocheng University Liaocheng P. R. China) F Fengbo Wang (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China) J Jianmin Dou (Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Energy Science and Technology Liaocheng University Liaocheng, Shandong China) P Pengtu Zhang (School of Chemical Engineering Shandong Institute of Petroleum and Chemical Technology Dongying China) L Liqiang Xu (Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) face significant challenges for practical application, primarily due to the sluggish reaction kinetics and pronounced shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). This study proposes a synergistic strategy involving doping engineering and controlled nitridation‐induced electronic state modulation to fabricate a Ni 3 Fe/Ni 2 Fe 2 N composite as an efficient sulfur host material. This rational design integrates the strong catalytic activity of the metal alloy (Ni 3 Fe) with the high electrical conductivity of the nitride (Ni 2 Fe 2 N), enabling effective anchoring and conversion of polysulfides. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and analysis results of XAFS and XPS confirm that an upshifted d‐ band center and modulated electronic states significantly enhance reaction kinetics and catalytic activity. In situ Raman spectroscopy and DRT analysis directly demonstrate the exceptional capability of the material to suppress the polysulfide shuttle effect. The battery exhibits remarkable cycling stability, achieving 1000 cycles with an ultralow decay rate of 0.045% per cycle. The outstanding performance is retained even under conditions as harsh as a high sulfur loading (4.3 mg cm −2 ) and low temperature (−10°C). This work not only presents a high‐performance catalyst but also provides new insights into the design of LSB catalysts via electronic state modulation.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 25
Published June 15, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (15)

X

Xiuyun Fan

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Liaocheng University Liaocheng P. R. China

X

Xiyu He

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry (Ministry of Education) School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Shandong University Jinan China

B

Bin Wang

L

Lingtong Kong

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

M

Muhammad Mamoor

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

Y

Yueyue Kong

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

D

Dedong Wang

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

L

Lu Wang

G

Guangmeng Qu

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

Z

Zhongxin Jing

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

M

MingYu Dou

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Liaocheng University Liaocheng P. R. China

F

Fengbo Wang

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China

J

Jianmin Dou

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Energy Storage and Novel Cell Technology School of Energy Science and Technology Liaocheng University Liaocheng, Shandong China

P

Pengtu Zhang

School of Chemical Engineering Shandong Institute of Petroleum and Chemical Technology Dongying China

L

Liqiang Xu

Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Crystal Material, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China