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

The severe polysulfide shuttle effect limits the commercialization of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this work, we developed a self-supporting photocathode based on a TiO₂/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 TiO₂ 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 TiO₂/Co@NC heterojunction demonstrates a high specific capacity of 1429.5 mAh g^-1 at 2C for 180 cycles. Furthermore, the PALSB achieves a photocharging capacity of 283 mAh g^-1 after 12 h of light exposure. This study offers a promising strategy to integrate solar energy with secondary battery technologies.