Solar energy is considered the most promising renewable energy source. Solar cells can harvest and convert solar energy into electrical energy, which needs to be stored as chemical energy, thereby realizing a balanced supply and demand for energy. As energy storage devices for this purpose, newly developed photo-enhanced rechargeable metal batteries, through the internal integration of photovoltaic technology and high-energy-density metal batteries in a single device, can simplify device configuration, lower costs, and reduce external energy loss. This review focuses on recent progress regarding the working principles, device architectures, and performances of various closed-type and open-type photo-enhanced rechargeable devices based on metal batteries, including Li/Zn-ion, Li-S, and Li/Zn-I₂, and Li/Zn-O₂/air, Li-CO₂, and Na-O₂ batteries. In addition to provide a fundamental understanding of photo-enhanced rechargeable devices, key challenges and possible strategies are also discussed. Finally, some perspectives are provided for further enhancing the overall performance of the proposed devices.

Strategy of anchoring alloy nanoparticles made up of the efficient catalytic element (e.g., Ni, Fe) on dodecyl sulfate (DS^-)-intercalated NiFe layered double hydroxides (DS^--NiFe LDH) obtained by a convenient one-step hydrothermal coprecipitation method for essentially enhancing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance was proposed. The results of structural characterization indicate Pt₂FeNi alloy nanoparticles evenly distribute on the surface of DS^--NiFe LDH. The sizes of the Pt₂FeNi nanoparticles, closely related to their OER performance, could be well-controlled by adjusting the amount of H₂PtCl₆ addition. The composite structure of as-prepared product was stable during processes of synthesis, exfoliation, self-assembly, and subsequent electrocatalytic OER. Rigorous electrochemical test proving the contributing catalytic active sites was located at the interface between Pt₂FeNi and DS^--NiFe LDH, and the Ni and Fe were the major active elements while O atoms are adsorption sites. The formation of Pt₂FeNi nanoparticles could greatly prompt the reduction of Tafel slope. The best-performing Pt₂FeNi/DS^--NiFe LDH with a Pt content of 0.98 wt% achieved low overpotential of 204 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and 262 mV at 50 mA cm⁻². This work provides a convenient and effective strategy to create additional active sites for enhancing OER performance of NiFe LDH and make contribution to its wide application.

The urgent expectation of the next-generation energy storage devices for electric vehicles has driven researchers' attention to the lithium-oxygen (Li-O₂) batteries due to the satisfied specific energy density. Herein, spatially-controlled Co₃O₄ nanoflake arrays with three-dimensional- networked morphology are adopted as flexible and self-standing oxygen cathodes in Li-O₂ batteries. The spinel-phase Co₃O₄ nanoflakes were converted from two-dimension metal-organic frameworks with abundant available channels and large specific surface area. The open-structure nanoflake arrays possess sufficient Li₂O₂/cathode contact interface, great bifunctional catalytic performance and adequate Li₂O₂ accommodation, leading to the enhanced electrochemical performance of the Li-O₂ batteries. As expected, the binder-free porous Co₃O₄/CT cathode delivers a high capacity of 6, 509 mAh·g^-1 (200 mA·g^-1) and enhanced stability over 100 cycles (limited by 1, 000 mAh·g^-1). In addition, pouch-type Li-O₂ batteries were successfully designed and cycled with Co₃O₄/CT cathode as oxygen electrodes, demonstrating its potential application for flexible electronics and wearable energy storage devices.