Abstract:Due to its high theoretical energy density (1274 Wh/kg, based on the mass of sulfur), rich resources, low prices and other advantages, room temperature sodium-sulfur battery has been widely applied in the field of large-scale energy storage and power batteries. However, the room temperature sodium -sulfur battery still has lots of issues to be addressed to achieve good reversibility, recyclability and high utilization of active substances, for example, the serious "shuttle effects", the slow dynamic process, poor cycling performance and safety issues inherent in the low conductivity of S8 and Na2S, and the high polarization brought about by solid Na2S2/Na2S deposition. And the commercialization of sodium-sulfur batteries remains extremely challenging. Therefore, it is very necessary to use catalytic materials reasonably to promote the transformation of polysulfide, and accelerate the reaction kinetics and it plays an important role in promoting the large-scale practical application of sodium-sulfur batteries. In this paper, the basic principle of the room temperature sodium-sulfur battery and its challenges were discussed. The category, roles and development trends of catalytic materials used in the room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries were summarized as well. Moreover, the interaction between various catalytic materials and polysulfide were described. Finally, the challenges and possible strategies for future research are predicted.