Researchers have unveiled a novel air-chargeable battery for a sustainable power solution. This technology traps the oxygen from the environment to drive the charging process for energy storage and is a step towards a carbon-neutral future.

In a world racing toward renewable energy solutions, a photo-assisted battery offers great promise as they combine the best of two worlds-- the light-capturing capability of solar cells and the robust energy storage of conventional batteries. Generally, solar panels convert sunlight into electricity, but they rely on separate battery systems to store the energy for later use. In contrast, photo-assisted batteries merge these functions into a single device, creating a seamless synergy between solar energy conversion and storage.

Photo-assisted batteries enhance the capacity of the batteries in the presence of light. However, it needs an external power supply to charge the battery. To overcome this limitation, there is an urgent requirement to develop energy storage devices with self-rechargeability.

Recent research has explored the “air-assisted self-charging” concept of aqueous ZIBs, aiming to utilize oxygen from the air to replenish the charge of the battery.

Researchers from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in Bengaluru, India, have developed a photo-assisted self-chargeable energy storage device that enhances the charge storage capacity in the presence of light. It can charge by its own in the presence of oxygen from the atmosphere.

A team led by Dr. Ashutosh Kumar Singh presented their study on these smart energy storage devices, titled "Photo-assisted self-chargeable aqueous Zn-ion energy storage device." This work published in the Chemical Engineering Journal explores the integration of photo-assisted and self-chargeable features into zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs), utilizing vanadium oxide (VO₂) and tungsten trioxide (WO₃) as the primary cathode material.

This work introduces a novel approach utilizing VO₂ as an active material, blended with WO₃ as a charge-separating layer, to design a photoelectrode for air-photo-assisted self-charged zinc ion energy storage. In addition, this work reports the utilization of WO₃ as a charge-separating layer in photo-assisted self-chargeable energy storage device for the first-time. The device shows a significant increment in the charge storage capacity (170%) at a constant current density of 0.02 mA/cm². Additionally, the VO₂ layer works as an air cathode electrode that can help air-assisted self-charging. It demonstrates an open circuit potential (OCP) of 1 V. This shows the superiority of photo-assisted self-charged energy storage performance.

The findings pave the way for integrating these devices into self-reliable electronics, potentially powered by renewable energy sources. This marks a major step forward in the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions and demonstrates the practical utility of energy storage devices in modern technology.

Figure: Schematic representation of the combination of photo-assisted (left) and air-assisted (right) energy storage devices. Schematic configuration of the device (left), a visual representation of the device in a charged state and which is powering an LCD device (right).

Publication link: DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.156870

For more technical details: Dr. Ashutosh K Singh (aksingh[at]cens[dot]res[dot]in) can be contacted.

******

NKR/PSM

(Release ID: 2112812) Visitor Counter : 739