Curtailing the Overpotential of Li–CO2 Batteries with Shape-Controlled Cu2O as Cathode: Effect of Illuminating the Cathode
Journal
ChemSusChem
Journal Volume
13
Journal Issue
10
Pages
2719-2725
Date Issued
2020
Author(s)
Abstract
Li–air batteries are limited to lab-scale research owing to the uninterrupted formation of discharge products. In the case of Li–CO2 batteries, the increase in overpotential caused by Li2CO3 formation results in cell death. In this study, Cu2O crystals having three different types of shapes (i.e., cubic, octahedral, and rhombic) were synthesized to compare their catalytic activity toward CO2 reactions. The full-cycle and long-term stability test revealed that rhombohedral Cu2O facilitates Li2CO3 decomposition more efficiently than that of cubic and octahedral Cu2O. The cycle was extended to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the rhombic Cu2O by illuminating the cell. The repeated cycles to 1 h showed a maximum overpotential of 1.5 V, which is 0.5 V lower than that of the cell without illumination. A postmortem analysis of the cell after dividing the cycles into segments demonstrated interesting results concerning the role of light and Cu2O during the cell cycle. ? 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Subjects
Carbon dioxide; Catalyst activity; Cathodes; Cell death; Copper oxides; Photocatalytic activity; Secondary batteries; Cathode catalyst; Illumination effect; Long-term stability test; Overpotential; Postmortem analysis; Repeated cycle; Shape evolution; Shape-controlled; Lithium compounds
SDGs
Type
journal article