# Vanadium Nitride Decorated Graphene With Abundant Active Sites as Chemical Anchor of Polysulfides and Redox Catalysts in Aluminum Sulfur Batteries for Enhanced Performance

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new catalyst for aluminum-sulfur batteries that improves performance by reducing the polysulfide shuttle effect and enhancing redox reactions.

## Contribution

A novel VN@graphene catalyst is developed to suppress polysulfide shuttling and improve redox kinetics in Al–S batteries.

## Key findings

- The modified Al–S cell achieves an initial capacity of 1354 mAh g–1.
- The cell retains 507 mAh g–1 after 200 cycles due to the catalyst's effectiveness.
- VN@graphene enhances electron transfer and suppresses polysulfide shuttling.

## Abstract

Aluminum–sulfur (Al–S) batteries are garnering significant interest as candidates for affordable energy storage systems due to their high theoretical capacity of 1672 mAh g–1 and the cost‐effectiveness of naturally abundant aluminum and sulfur. Nevertheless, challenges such as poor cyclic reversibility and limited practical capacity have resulted in only a few reversibly operating Al–S cells to date. In this study, we introduce an improved Al–S battery configuration by incorporating a novel VN@graphene catalyst into the sulfur cathode in Al–S battery applications. Comprehensive electrochemical tests and ex situ characterizations reveal that, during discharge, the catalyst effectively suppresses the polysulfide shuttle effect through strong adsorption, whereas during charging, it enhances sulfide redox kinetics. Consequently, the modified Al–S cell delivers an initial capacity of approximately 1354 mAh g–1, maintaining around 507 mAh g–1 after 200 cycles.

The inherent polarity of vanadium nitride (VN) promotes interactions and reactions with aluminum polysulfides, mitigating the shuttle effect. Its intimate contact with conductive graphene enables rapid electron transfer, enhancing polysulfide conversion reactions and further suppressing shuttling.© 2026 WILEY‐VCH GmbH