Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have been recognized as one of the most promising candidates for nextgeneration portable electronic devices,owing to their extremely high energy density and low cost.However,the dissolution of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and consequent “shuttle effect” seriously hinder the practical deployment of Li-S batteries.Herein,multi-metal oxide nanorods named attapulgite are proposed as multifunctional ionic sieve to immobilize LiPSs and further promote the regulation of LiPSs.Attapulgite,consisting of Al,Mg,Fe,Si and O ions,possesses more polar sites to immobilize LiPSs in comparison with single metal oxides.In addition,the catalytic nature (Fe ions) of attapulgite avails the LiPSs conversion reaction,which is further confirmed by the linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.Benefited from the synergistic effect of multi-metal oxide and conductive carbon,the Li-S battery with the modified separator delivers remarkable discharge capacities of 1059.4 mAh g-1 and 792.5 mAh g-1 for the first and 200th cycle at 0.5 C,respectively.The work presents an effective way to improve the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries by employing attapulgite nanorods assisted separator surface engineering.