Photo‐excited Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Enable a High‐Performance Zn–Air Battery

• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202005929
• Publication Date: 2020-06-30T10:59:20Z
• Authors: Dongfeng Du; Shuo Zhao; Zhuo Zhu; Fujun Li; Jun Chen

AbstractThe storage of solar energy in battery systems is pivotal for a sustainable society, which faces many challenges. Herein, a Zn–air battery is constructed with two cathodes of poly(1,4‐di(2‐thienyl))benzene (PDTB) and TiO2 grown on carbon papers to sandwich a Zn anode. The PDTB cathode is illuminated in a discharging process, in which photoelectrons are excited into the conduction band of PDTB to promote oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and raise the output voltage. In a reverse process, holes in the valence band of the illuminated TiO2 cathode are driven for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by an applied voltage. A record‐high discharge voltage of 1.90 V and an unprecedented low charge voltage of 0.59 V are achieved in the photo‐involved Zn–air battery, regardless of the equilibrium voltage. This work offers an innovative pathway for photo‐energy utilization in rechargeable batteries.