A new layered porous nanostructure with ZrO2 nanoparticles attached on the reduced graphene oxide (ZrO2/RGO) was synthesized by a facile solvothermal process. The resulting ZrO2/RGO composite with well-designed mesoporous structure and excellent conductivity not only served as scaffold to house sulfur but also as polysulfide reservoir for lithium–sulfur batteries. This nanostructured S@ZrO2/RGO electrode exhibits enhanced cycling stability, high specific capacity, and superior coulombic efficiency.
