Monolithically integrated, photo-rechargeable portable power sources based on miniaturized Si solar cells and printed solid-state lithium-ion batteries

The combination of energy generation and energy storage systems is the ultimate solution to meet the ever-increasing demand for high-energy-density power sources. Here, we demonstrate a new class of monolithically integrated, photo-rechargeable portable power sources based on miniaturized crystalline Si photovoltaics (c-Si PVs) and printed solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A solid-state LIB with a bipolar cell configuration is fabricated directly on the aluminium electrode of a c-Si PV module through an in-series printing process, which enables the seamless architectural/electrical connection of the two different energy systems. The single-unit PV–LIB device shows exceptional electrochemical performance that lies far beyond those achievable by conventional PVs or LIBs alone: it displays fast, low-light-intensity and high-temperature photo-charging; a photo-electric conversion/storage efficiency of 7.61%; a sustainable cycling performance; and continuous discharging at an extremely high current density of 28C under sunlight illumination. This study opens a facile and scalable route for the development of single-unit, photo-rechargeable mobile high-performance batteries that are required for the future era of ubiquitous electronics.

[1]  Adélio Mendes,et al.  Direct Solar Charging of an Organic–Inorganic, Stable, and Aqueous Alkaline Redox Flow Battery with a Hematite Photoanode , 2016, Angewandte Chemie.

[2]  Xinyu Xue,et al.  An integrated power pack of dye-sensitized solar cell and Li battery based on double-sided TiO2 nanotube arrays. , 2012, Nano letters.

[3]  John A Rogers,et al.  Imprintable, Bendable, and Shape‐Conformable Polymer Electrolytes for Versatile‐Shaped Lithium‐Ion Batteries , 2013, Advanced materials.

[4]  Sang-Young Lee,et al.  All-inkjet-printed, solid-state flexible supercapacitors on paper , 2016 .

[5]  Michael C. McAlpine,et al.  3D printed quantum dot light-emitting diodes. , 2014, Nano letters.

[6]  John A Rogers,et al.  Ultrathin silicon solar microcells for semitransparent, mechanically flexible and microconcentrator module designs. , 2008, Nature materials.

[7]  Kazuyoshi Ebe,et al.  UV curable pressure‐sensitive adhesives for fabricating semiconductors. I. Development of easily peelable dicing tapes , 2003 .

[8]  Heng Li,et al.  An “all-in-one” mesh-typed integrated energy unit for both photoelectric conversion and energy storage in uniform electrochemical system , 2015 .

[9]  J. Nelson.  The physics of solar cells , 2003 .

[10]  Young Chan Kim,et al.  Compositional engineering of perovskite materials for high-performance solar cells , 2015, Nature.

[11]  Subodh G. Mhaisalkar,et al.  Printable photo-supercapacitor using single-walled carbon nanotubes , 2011 .

[12]  Zhenbo Cai,et al.  An Integrated "energy wire" for both photoelectric conversion and energy storage. , 2012, Angewandte Chemie.

[13]  Michael M. Thackeray,et al.  Spinel Anodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries , 1994 .

[14]  A. Polman,et al.  Photovoltaic materials: Present efficiencies and future challenges , 2016, Science.

[15]  Ajay K. Pandey,et al.  Photo‐Rechargeable Battery Effect in First Generation Cationic‐Cyanine Dendrimers , 2010, Advanced materials.

[16]  Valerie H. Johnson,et al.  Battery performance models in ADVISOR , 2002 .

[17]  Inchan Hwang,et al.  Microgrid Electrode for Si Microwire Solar Cells with a Fill Factor of Over 80% , 2015 .

[18]  Joseph Shappir,et al.  Locally oxidized silicon surface-plasmon Schottky detector for telecom regime. , 2011, Nano letters.

[19]  Lanfang Li,et al.  Fabrication and assembly of ultrathin high-efficiency silicon solar microcells integrating electrical passivation and anti-reflection coatings , 2013 .

[20]  Wei Wang,et al.  Novel planar-structure electrochemical devices for highly flexible semitransparent power generation/storage sources. , 2013, Nano letters.

[21]  João Peças Lopes,et al.  Electric vehicle integration into modern power networks , 2013 .

[22]  A. Ortiz-Conde,et al.  Exact analytical solutions of the forward non-ideal diode equation with series and shunt parasitic resistances , 2000 .

[23]  Xiaodong Li,et al.  Cotton-textile-enabled flexible self-sustaining power packs via roll-to-roll fabrication , 2016, Nature Communications.

[24]  Xin Cai,et al.  Integrated power fiber for energy conversion and storage , 2013 .

[25]  Lu Ma,et al.  Integrating a redox-coupled dye-sensitized photoelectrode into a lithium–oxygen battery for photoassisted charging , 2014, Nature Communications.

[26]  G. Shen,et al.  Integrated Photo‐supercapacitor Based on Bi‐polar TiO2 Nanotube Arrays with Selective One‐Side Plasma‐Assisted Hydrogenation , 2014 .

[27]  Liming Dai,et al.  Efficiently photo-charging lithium-ion battery by perovskite solar cell , 2015, Nature Communications.

[28]  H. Munakata,et al.  Fabrication of micro lithium-ion battery with 3D anode and 3D cathode by using polymer wall , 2012 .

[29]  John A. Rogers,et al.  Compact monocrystalline silicon solar modules with high voltage outputs and mechanically flexible designs , 2010 .

[30]  Yasser Khan,et al.  High-performance flexible energy storage and harvesting system for wearable electronics , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[31]  Huisheng Peng,et al.  Integrated Polymer Solar Cell and Electrochemical Supercapacitor in a Flexible and Stable Fiber Format , 2014, Advanced materials.

[32]  John D. W. Madden,et al.  A high energy density solar rechargeable redox battery , 2016 .

[33]  Pierre Berini,et al.  Schottky contact surface-plasmon detector integrated with an asymmetric metal stripe waveguide , 2009 .

[34]  D. Peters.  An infrared detector utilizing internal photoemission , 1967 .

[35]  Andrew S. Westover,et al.  All silicon electrode photocapacitor for integrated energy storage and conversion. , 2015, Nano letters.

[36]  Ying Shirley Meng,et al.  Electrodes with High Power and High Capacity for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries , 2006, Science.

[37]  Haoshen Zhou,et al.  Integrating a Photocatalyst into a Hybrid Lithium-Sulfur Battery for Direct Storage of Solar Energy. , 2015, Angewandte Chemie.

[38]  Genevieve Dion,et al.  Textile energy storage in perspective , 2014 .

[39]  Kuo-Chuan Ho,et al.  Plastic dye-sensitized photo-supercapacitor using electrophoretic deposition and compression methods , 2010 .

[40]  S. Indris,et al.  Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of Li4Ti5O12 and LiCoO2 based half-cells and Li4Ti5O12/LiCoO2 cells: Internal interfaces and influence of state-of-charge and cycle number , 2012 .

[41]  Y. Xing,et al.  Hybrid Li-air battery cathodes with sparse carbon nanotube arrays directly grown on carbon fiber papers , 2013 .

[42]  Tae Yun Kim,et al.  All-in-one energy harvesting and storage devices , 2016 .

[43]  Nelson A. Kelly,et al.  Solar photovoltaic charging of lithium-ion batteries , 2010 .

[44]  Hongrui Jiang,et al.  Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cell with Energy Storage Function through PVDF/ZnO Nanocomposite Counter Electrode , 2013, Advanced materials.

[45]  Keun-Ho Choi,et al.  Mechanically compliant and lithium dendrite growth-suppressing composite polymer electrolytes for flexible lithium-ion batteries , 2013 .

[46]  Hao Sun,et al.  A novel “energy fiber” by coaxially integrating dye-sensitized solar cell and electrochemical capacitor , 2014 .

[47]  Jonathan A. Fan,et al.  Stretchable batteries with self-similar serpentine interconnects and integrated wireless recharging systems , 2013, Nature Communications.

[48]  Ulrich S. Schubert,et al.  Photo‐Rechargeable Electric Energy Storage Systems , 2016 .

[49]  Darrell L. Butler,et al.  Preferred Lighting Levels , 1987 .

[50]  Y. Park,et al.  Ultrasmooth, extremely deformable and shape recoverable Ag nanowire embedded transparent electrode , 2014, Scientific Reports.

[51]  Li Li,et al.  An integrated device for both photoelectric conversion and energy storage based on free-standing and aligned carbon nanotube film , 2013 .

[52]  Soojin Park,et al.  Printable Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries: A New Route toward Shape-Conformable Power Sources with Aesthetic Versatility for Flexible Electronics. , 2015, Nano letters.