The development of batteries that can be recharged directly by light, without the need for external solar cells or external power supplies, has recently gained interest for powering off-grid devices. Vanadium dioxide (VO) has been studied as a promising photocathode for zinc-ion batteries because it can both store energy and harvest light. However, the efficiency of the photocharging process depends on electrode structure and charge transport layers. In this work, we report photocathodes using zinc oxide as an electron transport and hole blocking layer on top of which we synthesise VO. The improved interface and charge separation in these photocathodes offer an improvement in photo-conversion efficiency from ∼0.18 to ∼0.51% compared to previous work on mixed VO photocathodes. In addition, a good capacity retention of ∼73% was observed after 500 cycles. The proposed stacked photocathodes reduce the battery light charging time by 3-fold and are therefore an important step towards making this technology more viable.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8525630 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1ta07572a | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Wafer-Scale Semitransparent MoS/WS Heterojunction Catalyst on a Silicon Photocathode for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.
Small
January 2025
Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Article Synopsis
- A new catalyst structure combining MoS and WS in a bilayer configuration has been developed to improve hydrogen production through photoelectrochemical (PEC) methods.
- This catalyst is designed to be transparent, facilitate charge transfer, and protect the underlying semiconductor, addressing critical challenges in the field.
- The resulting structure shows excellent performance, achieving a photocurrent density of -25 mA/cm at 0 V, making it more stable and effective than previous single-layer designs.
A dual spin-controlled chiral two-/three-dimensional perovskite artificial leaf for efficient overall photoelectrochemical water splitting.
Nat Commun
June 2024
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
The oxygen evolution reaction, which involves high overpotential and slow charge-transport kinetics, plays a critical role in determining the efficiency of solar-driven water splitting. The chiral-induced spin selectivity phenomenon has been utilized to reduce by-product production and hinder charge recombination. To fully exploit the spin polarization effect, we herein propose a dual spin-controlled perovskite photoelectrode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to enhance the performance of a continuous-wave photocathode electron gun at Peking University, and to achieve electron beams with higher current and brightness, a multifunctional drive laser system named PULSE (Peking University drive Laser System for high-brightness Electron source) has been developed. This innovative system is capable of delivering an average output power of 120 W infrared laser pulse at 81.25 MHz, as well as approximately 13.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntegrated halide perovskite photoelectrochemical cells with solar-driven water-splitting efficiency of 20.8.
Nat Commun
June 2023
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas, 77005, USA.
Achieving high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency concomitant with long-term durability using low-cost, scalable photo-absorbers is a long-standing challenge. Here we report the design and fabrication of a conductive adhesive-barrier (CAB) that translates >99% of photoelectric power to chemical reactions. The CAB enables halide perovskite-based photoelectrochemical cells with two different architectures that exhibit record STH efficiencies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCovalently Grafting Graphene onto Si Photocathode to Expedite Aqueous Photoelectrochemical CO Reduction.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
July 2023
Soochow Institute of Energy and Material Innovations, College of Energy, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China.
Silicon semiconductor functionalized with molecular catalysts emerges as a promising cathode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) CO reduction reaction (CO RR). However, the limited kinetics and stabilities remains a major hurdle for the development of such composites. We herein report an assembling strategy of silicon photocathodes via chemically grafting a conductive graphene layer onto the surface of n -p Si followed by catalyst immobilization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!