▎ 摘　　要

Al-S batteries are promising next generation energy storage devices due to their high theoretical energy density (1340 Wh kg(-1)), low cost, and safe operation. However, the electrochemical performance of Al-S batteries suffers poor reversibility owing to slow kinetic processes determined by the difficulty of rever-sible conversion between Al and S. Here, we proposed a single-atom catalysts comprising Co atoms embedded in a nitrogen-doped graphene (CoNG) as an electrochemical catalyst in the sulfur cathode that renders a reduced discharge-charge voltage hysteresis and improved sulfur utilization in the cathode. The structural and electrochemical analyses suggest that the CoNG facilitated both the formation and oxida-tion of AlSx during the electrochemical reactions of the sulfur species. Consequently, the CoNG-S compos-ite can deliver a considerably reduced voltage hysteresis of 0.76 V and a reversible specific capacity of 1631 mAh g(-1) at 0.2 A g(-1) with a sulfur utilization of more than 97%. (C) 2021 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.