Premium
Curtailing the Overpotential of Li–CO 2 Batteries with Shape‐Controlled Cu 2 O as Cathode: Effect of Illuminating the Cathode
Author(s) -
Jena Anirudha,
Hsieh He Chin,
Thoka Subashchandrabose,
Hu Shu Fen,
Chang Ho,
Liu Ru Shi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.202000097
Subject(s) - overpotential , cathode , octahedron , decomposition , materials science , catalysis , crystallography , electrode , chemistry , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , crystal structure , organic chemistry , engineering
Abstract Li–air batteries are limited to lab‐scale research owing to the uninterrupted formation of discharge products. In the case of Li–CO 2 batteries, the increase in overpotential caused by Li 2 CO 3 formation results in cell death. In this study, Cu 2 O crystals having three different types of shapes (i.e., cubic, octahedral, and rhombic) were synthesized to compare their catalytic activity toward CO 2 reactions. The full‐cycle and long‐term stability test revealed that rhombohedral Cu 2 O facilitates Li 2 CO 3 decomposition more efficiently than that of cubic and octahedral Cu 2 O. The cycle was extended to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the rhombic Cu 2 O 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 Cu 2 O during the cell cycle.