Photo-assisted Rechargeable Organic Batteries: Principle, Advancements, and Perspectives

Photo-assisted rechargeable batteries represent an emerging paradigm that directly harnesses solar energy to drive electrochemical charge storage, offering a promising pathway toward off-grid energy solutions and carbon neutrality. By integrating light-harvesting and energy storage functions within a single device, this technology bypasses the efficiency losses and system complexity associated with conventional photovoltaic-plus-battery configurations. Within this context, organic electrode materials have attracted considerable attention as green and sustainable alternatives to conventional inorganic counterparts. Their molecular tunable optoelectronic properties, mechanical flexibility, and compatibility with lightweight device architectures position them as compelling candidates for next-generation photo-assisted energy storage systems. This review summarizes the photo-charging process and researches on typical organic Lion/Zinc batteries and explores the challenges and prospects this technology faces in advancing sustainable energy storage development.