Three-electrode in mono-electrolyte for integrated photo-assisted lithium sulfur battery

The combination of solar cells and rechargeable batteries has been confirmed as a new strategy for the development of solar energy utilization. However, the high charging voltage of Li-ion battery (3.0-4.2 V) and incompatible electrolyte with solar cell is adverse to the combination of photo-assisted rechargeable battery (PRB). In this work, Li-S battery as an energy storage unit is combined with dye-sensitized solar cell to form an integrated three-electrode photo-assisted rechargeable Li-S battery (PRSB). The compatible C/S electrode provides a bridge for realizing the bi-function of photoelectric conversion and storage. In contrast to the dual electrolytes in the previously reported PRBs, lithium bis((trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl)azanide (LiTFSI), namely the highly compatible mono-electrolyte in our newly designed PRSB with three-electrode, facilitates the charge separation and enhances the capacity and stability of integrated photo-assisted rechargeable battery. With the compensation of photogenerated carrier, the charge voltage of PRSB drops 0.12 V and the discharge capacity increases to 885 mAh g-1 under solar charging, indicating that the integrated device is promising to save electric energy and improve the performance of PRBs.

Automated summary

The combination of solar cells and rechargeable batteries has been confirmed as a new strategy for the development of solar energy utilization. In this study, a three-electrode photo-assisted rechargeable Li-S battery (PRSB) was developed by combining a Li-S battery with a dye-sensitized solar cell. The use of a highly compatible mono-electrolyte facilitated charge separation and improved the capacity and stability of the integrated photo-assisted rechargeable battery.