Non-Noble Metallic Plasma Resonance Coupled with Photoelectric Effect Enhances the Conversion Kinetics of Photoassisted Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Li, Junwei; Wang, Xiaohan; Yang, Zun; Zhu, Haifei; Gao, Qianrui; Liu, Mi; Geng, Caihong; Meng, Ting et al. · Nano Lett · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The severe polysulfide shuttle effect limits the commercialization of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this work, we developed a self-supporting photocathode based on a TiO<sub>2</sub>/Co Schottky heterojunction, which leverages both electrocatalytic and photocatalytic advantages. Specifically, Co nanoparticles─leveraging the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect, which has been largely overlooked in prior research─enhance catalytic activity by generating hot electrons and providing localized thermal energy. The charge carriers from TiO<sub>2</sub> under light are efficiently separated by the Schottky junction. This synergistic effect accelerates the polysulfide conversion kinetics and mitigates the shuttle effect. As a result, the photoassisted lithium-sulfur battery (PALSB) incorporating the TiO<sub>2</sub>/Co@NC heterojunction demonstrates a high specific capacity of 1429.5 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> at 2C for 180 cycles. Furthermore, the PALSB achieves a photocharging capacity of 283 mAh g<sup>-1</sup> after 12 h of light exposure. This study offers a promising strategy to integrate solar energy with secondary battery technologies.