Increasing global demand for energy has given rise to a pressing need for efficient, economical storage of electricity generated from renewable energy technologies. Given their high theoretical specific capacity, high energy density, and low cost due to a high natural abundance of sulfur, lithium–sulfur batteries offer a promising solution. However, they suffer from poor cyclability that limits their utility in commercial applications. Among the most critical challenges is the “shuttle effect,” in which soluble polysulfides leach from the cathode during the charge/discharge process, resulting in poor system efficiency. This seminar will outline strategies for the development and study of modular organic materials for mitigation of polysulfide shuttling in Li–S batteries as a model system. I draw inspiration from previous experience in fabricating organic electroactive materials for applications in ion-exchange membranes and organic electronic materials. Additionally, I will describe novel redox-mediated methods that enable the efficient synthesis of complex organic compounds. I highlight the value of establishing structure-property-performance relationships between organic materials, their electrochemical and mechanical properties, and cell performance to elucidate guiding principles for the effective optimization of batteries. To do this, I will combine multi-modal macromolecular characterization techniques and systematic tuning and processing of polymers and apply the resulting insights toward other emerging energy storage technologies such as solid-state and organic polymer batteries.