Lithium sulfur batteries(LSBs) have attracted considerable attention as promising next-generation energy storage devices due to their high theoritical energy density.Although the electrochemical performance of LSBs has been significantly enhanced over the past decade,most of their test condition is based on excessive electrolyte usage.High electrolyte usage not only increases the manufacturing cost of batteries but also reduces their actual energy density,Which is detrimental to commercial applications of LSBs.Therefore,it is especially critical to develop LSBs that combine low electrolyte usage with excellent electrochemical performance.The challenges faced by LSBs under lean electrolyte conditions were outlined and the approaches based on sulfur electrode design to reduce electrolyte usage were discussed in detail:1)optimizing electrode porosity and ion conduction to shorten the transport path of lithium ions and enhance their conductivity;2)introducing meta-based or nonmetallic-based catalysis to enhance the reaction kinetics of active materials under lean electrolyte conditions;3)developing novel active materials to avoid the degradation of battery performance caused by the large amount of lithium polysulfides dissolved in the electrolyte under lean electrolyte conditions.Finally,the perspectives on further optimizing the design of sulfur cathode to develop high-energy-density LSBs with lean electrolyte were proposed.