H. Zhao †, Y.-C. Chen †, X.-T. Li, D.-W. Sun, L. Ye, J.-B. Zhu, J.-H. Ye, X.-H. Xiong *, Z.-S. Wu and D.-G. Yu *

Chemical Communications, 2025, accepted.

Owing to the excellent chemical/thermal stability, it is difficult to induce surface modification in graphite, which limits its wider application in rechargeable batteries. To solve this problem, a feasible strategy is to introduce oxygen-containing functional groups on the graphite surface. However, it is challenging to selectively introduce only carboxyl groups by conventional synthetic methods. Herein, we report a new method for the synthesis of carboxyl graphite via the electroreductive carboxylation of graphite with CO2. When this carboxyl graphite is employed as a sulfur host for lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, the electrochemical performance is significantly improved compared to that with a conventional graphite host.