Utilization of solar energy is very important for alleviating the global energy crisis; however, solar-to-electric energy conversion in a compact battery is a great challenge. High charging overpotential of conventional aprotic Li–O₂ batteries still restricts their practical application. Herein, we propose a photo-involved rechargeable Li–O₂ battery to not only realize direct solar-to-electric energy conversion/storage but also address the overpotential issue. In this photo-involved battery system, the g-C₃N₄-decorated WO₃ nanowire array (WO₃@g-C₃N₄ NWA) heterojunction semiconductor is used as both the photoelectrode and oxygen electrode. Upon charging under visible-light irradiation, the photoexcited holes and electrons are in situ generated on the WO₃@g-C₃N₄ NWA heterojunction cathode. The fabrication of the heterojunction can distinctly reduce the recombination rate between electrons and holes, while photon-generated carriers are effectively and quickly separated and then migrate under a large current density. The discharge product (Li₂O₂) can be oxidized to O₂ and Li⁺ with a reduced charging voltage (3.69 V) by the abundant photoexcited holes, leading to high energy efficiency, good cycling stability and excellent rate capability. This newly photo-involved reaction scheme could open new avenues toward the design of advanced solar-to-electric energy conversion and storage systems.

中文翻译：

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在g-C3N4装饰的WO3纳米线阵列异质结中作为可充电Li-O2电池的阴极，有效分离光激发载流子。

太阳能利用对于缓解全球能源危机非常重要。然而，紧凑型电池中的太阳能到电能的转换是巨大的挑战。常规非质子Li-O ₂电池的高充电超电势仍然限制了它们的实际应用。本文中，我们提出了一种涉及光的可充电Li–O ₂电池，不仅可以实现直接的太阳能到电能的转换/存储，而且还可以解决超电势问题。在这个涉及光电池的系统中，用gC ₃ N ₄装饰的WO ₃纳米线阵列（WO ₃ @gC ₃ N ₄NWA）异质结半导体同时用作光电极和氧电极。在可见光照射下充电时，在WO ₃ @gC ₃ N ₄ NWA异质结阴极上原位产生光激发空穴和电子。异质结的制造可以明显降低电子与空穴之间的复合率，而光子产生的载流子则被有效，快速地分离，然后在大电流密度下迁移。放电产物（Li ₂ O ₂）可被氧化成O ₂和Li ⁺通过丰富的光激发空穴降低充电电压（3.69 V），从而实现高能效，良好的循环稳定性和出色的倍率能力。这种新的涉及光的反应方案可以为高级太阳能到电能的转换和存储系统的设计开辟新的途径。