Ag doped ZnO hollow nanosphere as a photocatalyst for enhanced performance in photo-assisted Li-O2 batteries

Photo-assisted electrochemical strategy has garnered interest for its ability to diminish the large overpotential of lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs). Nonetheless, creating a sophisticated photocatalyst capable of absorbing a wide spectrum of light and dramatically lowering the recombination rate for electron-hole pairs presents a significant challenge. Herein, we design an Ag-doped ZnO (Ag@ZnO) hollow nanosphere as photocatalysts to boost the reaction dynamics of photo-assisted LOBs. The Ag@ZnO hollow nanospheres, featuring a mesoporous structure, are beneficial for improving O 2 transport and enabling the retention of discharge products. Additionally, the ability to absorb light and the efficiencies of electron-hole separation are enhanced for Ag@ZnO as a result of Ag doping. The electrons generated by photoexcitation facilitate the conversion of O 2 to produce Li 2 O 2 during discharge, whereas during charging, the presence of holes causes the decomposition of Li 2 O 2 . Consequently, a significantly low overpotential of 0.22 V, ultrahigh cycling efficiency of 93.73%, and good reversibility was achieved for the photo-assisted LOBs using Ag@ZnO. We consider that this work can offer a reliable strategy to improve electrochemical kinetics and contribute to the development of efficient photocatalysts for photo-assisted LOBs.