Photo-Energized MoS2/CNT Cathode for High-Performance Li-CO2 Batteries in a Wide-Temperature Range

Tingsong Hu; Wenyi Lian; Kang Hu; Qiuju Li; Xueliang Cui; Tengyu Yao; Laifa Shen

doi:10.1007/s40820-024-01506-1

Photo-Energized MoS₂/CNT Cathode for High-Performance Li-CO₂ Batteries in a Wide-Temperature Range

Nanomicro Lett. 2024 Sep 21;17(1):5. doi: 10.1007/s40820-024-01506-1.

Authors

Tingsong Hu¹, Wenyi Lian¹, Kang Hu¹, Qiuju Li¹, Xueliang Cui¹, Tengyu Yao¹, Laifa Shen²

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Storage, College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China.
² Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Storage, College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China. lfshen@nuaa.edu.cn.

PMID: 39304561
DOI: 10.1007/s40820-024-01506-1

Abstract

Li-CO₂ batteries are considered promising energy storage systems in extreme environments such as Mars; however, severe performance degradation will occur at a subzero temperature owning to the sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, a photo-energized strategy adopting sustainable solar energy in wide working temperature range Li-CO₂ battery was achieved with a binder-free MoS₂/carbon nanotube (CNT) photo-electrode as cathode. The unique layered structure and excellent photoelectric properties of MoS₂ facilitate the abundant generation and rapid transfer of photo-excited carriers, which accelerate the CO₂ reduction and Li₂CO₃ decomposition upon illumination. The illuminated battery at room temperature exhibited high discharge voltage of 2.95 V and mitigated charge voltage of 3.27 V, attaining superior energy efficiency of 90.2% and excellent cycling stability of over 120 cycles. Even at an extremely low temperature of - 30 °C, the battery with same electrolyte can still deliver a small polarization of 0.45 V by the photoelectric and photothermal synergistic mechanism of MoS₂/CNT cathode. This work demonstrates the promising potential of the photo-energized wide working temperature range Li-CO₂ battery in addressing the obstacle of charge overpotential and energy efficiency.

Keywords: Kinetics; Li–CO2 batteries; MoS2; Photo-energized; Wide operation-temperature.