Highly Functionalized Lithium-Ion Battery

Future energy demand is an important issue that requires consideration. Lithiumion batteries (LIB) are one of the most popular types of rechargeable battery for portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, cameras, and laptop computers, and have led to other applications being commercialized. Distributed power generation using renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), can efficiently supply electricity according to on-site demand. If the electrodes of a LIB could function as a solar cell, the storage device could provide electricity without an electric power supply. We have reported the fabrication of a thin-film LIB using the molecular precursor method. The thin-film LIB was fabricated with Li4Ti5O12 for the anode and Li3Fe2(PO4)3 for the cathode on a fluorine-doped tin oxide pre-coated glass substrate and an electrolyte of dissolved LiPF6. Moreover, we fabricated a novel LIB that was charged by light. This novel, translucent, thin-film LIB that can be charged by solar light irradiation was fabricated using active materials—titania for the anode and LiCoO2 for the cathode—on a conductive glass substrate by a wet process. This chapter focuses on the fabrication and properties of these multi-functional thinfilm LIBs using a chemical method, viz., the molecular precursor method. The translucent device can simultaneously generate and store electricity from solar light and may be applied in smart windows, facilitating the wider use of renewable energy.