▎ 摘　　要

NOVELTY - Sulfur cathode for a metal-sulfur battery, comprises a humic acid-derived foam or combined humic acid/graphene-derived foam, composed of multiple pores and pore walls, and sulfur or sulfide impregnated into the pores or deposited on the pore walls, where the pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer humic acid-derived hexagonal carbon atomic planes or sheets, and the few-layer hexagonal carbon atomic planes or sheets have 2-10 layers of stacked hexagonal carbon atomic planes having an inter-plane spacing d002 of 0.3354-0.6 nm as measured by X-ray diffraction. USE - The cathode is useful for a metal-sulfur battery comprising a lithium ion-sulfur battery, sodium ion-sulfur battery, potassium ion-sulfur battery, magnesium ion-sulfur battery, or aluminum ion-sulfur battery (all claimed). ADVANTAGE - The cathode: is cost-effective; utilizes the foam materials which exhibit higher thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, elastic modulus, and flexural strength as compared to conventional foam materials; prevents excessive dissolution of sulfur and sulfide in liquid electrolyte, hence reducing or eliminating the shuttle effect; and utilizes relatively low sulfur content and low sulfur utilization efficiency in the cathode, as well as poor cycling stability. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Sulfur cathode for a metal-sulfur battery, comprises a humic acid-derived foam or combined humic acid/graphene-derived foam, composed of multiple pores and pore walls, and sulfur or sulfide impregnated into the pores or deposited on the pore walls, where the pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer humic acid-derived hexagonal carbon atomic planes or sheets, the few-layer hexagonal carbon atomic planes or sheets have 2-10 layers of stacked hexagonal carbon atomic planes having an inter-plane spacing d002 of 0.3354-0.6 nm as measured by X-ray diffraction, the single-layer or few-layer hexagonal carbon atomic planes contain 0.01-25 wt.% of non-carbon elements, and the humic acid is oxidized humic acid, reduced humic acid, fluorinated humic acid, chlorinated humic acid, brominated humic acid, iodized humic acid, hydrogenated humic acid, nitrogenated humic acid, doped humic acid and/or chemically functionalized humic acid, and the sulfide is a polysulfide, organo-sulfide, carbon-sulfide, metal polysulfide and/or carbon-polysulfide. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a metal-sulfur battery containing the sulfur cathode as an active cathode layer, an anode, and a metal ion-conducting electrolyte in ionic contact with the sulfur cathode and the anode.