Mixed-valence vanadium oxides based photocathodes for photo-rechargeable zinc-ion batteries with enhanced capacity and cycle life

作者：Jie Huang, Jinghao Li, Youwei Jiang, Bin Gao, Qiu Tan, Jiao He, Fujun Deng, Yongxue Wang, Ruibin Guo, Qinyou An, Xiong Li, Jing Guo, Yue Ming, Yaoguang Rong · 发表于：Energy storage materials · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.ensm.2025.104532 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Advanced battery technologies research、Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials、Advancements in Battery Materials

Photo-rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (PRZIBs) integrate solar energy harvesting and storage in a single device through a dual-functional photocathode. While their compact size, simple structure, and low-cost make PRZIBs promising for self-powered solar electronics, practical deployment is hindered by the low capacity (120-300 mAh g -1 ) and poor cycling stability (<500 cycles). Herein, a mixed-valence V 6 O 13 nanoflower photocathode is designed to enhance the capacity and stability of PRZIBs. By photo-assisted charging, the as-fabricated PRZIBs achieve a discharge-specific capacity of 468.7 mAh g -1 and cycle life of over 1,500 cycles. It is found that irradiating the mixed-valence V 6 O 13 is able to induce proton insertion and enhance the capacity. At the same time, illumination could restrain the dissolution of V 6 O 13 cathode and formation of inactive zinc pyrovanadate phase, and thus suppress the interfacial degradation. Besides photo-assisted charging, the integrated device could also realize photo-charging under simulated sunlight. Without any external power source, five series-connected PRZIBs could drive a light emitting diode array by photo-charging. This work provides a viable strategy for high-performance PRZIBs in off-grid applications. A mixed-valence V 6 O 13 nanoflower-based photo-rechargeable zinc-ion battery (PRZIB) is developed, delivering a high capacity of 468.7 mAh g - ¹ and prolonged photo-assisted cycling stability. The performance is enabled by pho...