Light/Electricity Energy Conversion and Storage for a Hierarchical Porous In2S3@CNT/SS Cathode towards a Flexible Li‐CO2 Battery

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 59; no. 44; pp. 19518 - 19524
• Main Authors: Guan, De‐Hui, Wang, Xiao‐Xue, Li, Ma‐Lin, Li, Fei, Zheng, Li‐Jun, Huang, Xiao‐Lei, Xu, Ji‐Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 26.10.2020
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Batteries; Carbon dioxide; charge–discharge mechanism; Discharge; Electric potential; Energy conversion; Energy storage; enhanced kinetics; flexible Li-CO2 batteries; hierarchical porous cathodes; Light; light harvesting; Voltage; enhanced kinetics; flexible Li-CO2 battery; light/electricity energy; charge-discharge mechanism; hierarchical porous cathode
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202005053

A photoinduced flexible Li‐CO2 battery with well‐designed, hierarchical porous, and free‐standing In2S3@CNT/SS (ICS) as a bifunctional photoelectrode to accelerate both the CO2 reduction and evolution reactions (CDRR and CDER) is presented. The photoinduced Li‐CO2 battery achieved a record‐high discharge voltage of 3.14 V, surpassing the thermodynamic limit of 2.80 V, and an ultra‐low charge voltage of 3.20 V, achieving a round trip efficiency of 98.1 %, which is the highest value ever reported (<80 %) so far. These excellent properties can be ascribed to the hierarchical porous and free‐standing structure of ICS, as well as the key role of photogenerated electrons and holes during discharging and charging processes. A mechanism is proposed for pre‐activating CO2 by reducing In3+ to In+ under light illumination. The mechanism of the bifunctional light‐assisted process provides insight into photoinduced Li‐CO2 batteries and contributes to resolving the major setbacks of the system. Battery life on Mars: A photoinduced flexible Li‐CO2 battery with hierarchical, porous, and free‐standing In2S3@CNT/SS as a bifunctional photoelectrode to accelerate both CO2 reduction and evolution is presented. The Li‐CO2 battery achieved a record‐high discharge voltage of 3.14 V (thermodynamic limit: 2.80 V), and an ultra‐low charge voltage of 3.20 V, and a roundtrip efficiency of 98.1 %.