Bilayer Boost to UV Assisted Supercapacitors: Enhanced Performance with Transparent TiO2/MoO3 Heterojunction Electrode

Abstract

Photo‐assisted supercapacitor is a promising smart device component for achieving both energy conversion and storage. The photo‐assisted functionality in a supercapacitor is realized through the choice of photo responsive electrode material under suitable illumination conditions. The well‐known electrochemically active electrode materials are wide band gap semiconductors which absorb strongly in UV light. However, most of the prior studies on photo‐assisted supercapacitors used visible light. Herein, we present a transparent TiO2/MoO3 bi‐layer heterojunction made by simple solution process as an efficient electrode for photo‐assisted supercapacitors under UV light illumination. The electrochemical performance of the electrode is significantly enhanced even with a less intense (0.05mW/cm2) UV light, compared to dark as well as the single layer electrode under same illumination condition. The highest areal capacitance of 63.25 mF/cm2 at 0.1 mA/cm2 is achieved, that surpasses most of the recent relevant reports. The synergetic effect of UV illumination and the built‐in potential at the type II heterojunction interface encourages ion insertion and better collection of the photo‐generated carriers. The unique bi‐layer design also leads to better rate capability features. Thus, the work presents a new prospect for the development of transparent energy storage devices to be used in future smart technologies.