A Si-C bonded composite derived from halloysite enabling synergistic polarity and conductivity for high-stability lithium-sulfur batteries

The commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries is primarily hindered by the polysulfide shuttle effect and sluggish reaction kinetics. Engineering a host material that synergizes efficient polysulfide confinement with high electrical conductivity, through a simple and potentially scalable process, remains a key challenge. Here, we demonstrate a facile, one-pot hydrothermal strategy to cost-effectively convert abundant natural halloysite clay into a mesoporous silicon-carbon composite (MHSC). This process effectively establishes an intimate Si – C bonded interface between the conductive carbon network and the polar silica framework, inherited from the mineral precursor. The resulting MHSC host exhibits excellent electronic conductivity (0.011 S cm −1 ) and strong polysulfide adsorption. When evaluated as a sulfur cathode, the MHSC/S composite delivers a high initial capacity of 1213 mAh·g −1 at 0.2 C and, more importantly, exceptional long-term stability with a negligible capacity decay rate of only 0.089% per cycle over 700 cycles at 1 C. This work provides a commercially viable and environmentally benign route for manufacturing high-performance Li–S battery cathodes by upcycling natural clay resources.