Liquid electrolyte lithium-sulfur batteries

A battery cell comprising:

• a) a negative electrode including a metal or an ion of the metal;
• b) a positive electrode comprising a mixture of
• i) an electrochemically active material comprising sulfur in the form of at least one of elemental sulfur, a sulfide of the metal, and a polysulfide of the metal, and
• ii) an electronically conductive material;
• and
• c) a liquid electrolyte including a solvent having at least one of a crown ether and a cryptand, and a donor solvent.

A rechargeable battery cell comprising:

• a) a negative electrode including a metal or an ion of the metal;
• b) a positive electrode comprising a mixture of
• an electrochemically active material comprising sulfur in the form of at least one of elemental sulfur, a sulfide of the metal, and a polysulfide of the metal, and
• an electronically conductive material;
• and
• c) a liquid electrolyte including a solvent for at least some discharge products of the positive electrode,
• wherein the rechargeable battery cell is characterized by at least one of the following criteria:
• i) the battery cell attains at least about 10% utilization over at least fifty cycles, and
• ii) the battery cell attains at least about 50% utilization over two or more cycles.

A battery cell comprising:

• a) a negative electrode including a metal or an ion of the metal;
• b) a positive electrode comprising a mixture of
• i) an electrochemically active material comprising sulfur in the form of at least one of elemental sulfur, a sulfide of the metal, and a polysulfide of the metal, and
• ii) an electronically conductive material;
• and
• c) a liquid electrolyte defining a catholyte of the solvent and dissolved discharged products from the positive electrode,
• wherein the battery cell is characterized by a separation distanced between a back boundary where the catholyte is farthest removed from the negative electrode and a front boundary where the catholyte is nearest the negative electrode,
• wherein the separation distance is not greater than about 400 micrometers.