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Researchers at Lancaster University in the UK studied a crystalline material – a solid material with parts such as atoms, molecules or ions that are arranged in a very ordered microscopic structure – and found that it had properties that allow it to capture solar energy. Energy can be stored for several months at room temperature, and it can be released on demand in the form of heat.
Solar energy storage
With further development, these materials could offer the potential to capture solar energy during the summer months and store it for use in the winter when less solar energy is available.
This would prove invaluable for such items as heating systems in off-grid systems or remote locations or as an environmentally friendly addition to conventional heating in homes and offices. It could also be produced as a thin coating and applied to the surface of buildings.
The study, titled “Long-term solar energy storage at ambient conditions in a solid-solid phase change material based on MOF”, was published by the journal Materials chemistry.
How it works
The crystalline material is based on a type of “metal-organic frame” (MOF), which consists of a network of metal ions – atoms or molecules with a net electric charge – linked by carbon-based molecules to form 3D structures. . MOFs are porous, so they can form composite materials by harboring other small molecules in their structures. MOF composite is a solid, so it is chemically stable and easily contained.
The Lancaster research team wanted to know if an MOF composite known as DMOF1, previously prepared by a research team at Kyoto University of Japan, could be used to store energy. It had never been researched before.
The MOF pores were loaded with molecules of azobenzene, a compound that strongly absorbs light. These molecules act as photoswitches which can change shape when an external stimulus, such as light or heat, is applied. The researchers exposed the material to UV light, which caused the azobenzene molecules to change shape in a taut configuration inside the pores of the MOF, like a bent spring. The narrow MOF pores trap the azobenzene molecules in their stretched form, so that potential energy can be stored for long periods of time at room temperature.
When external heat is applied as a trigger to “change” its state, energy is released again, like a spring slamming straight. This provides heat which can be used to heat other materials.
The interesting part is that further testing showed that the material was able to store energy for at least four months.
Dr John Griffin, co-principal investigator of the study, said:
The material works much like phase change materials, which are used to provide heat in hand warmers. However, while hand warmers need to be heated to recharge them, the great thing about this material is that it captures “ free ” energy directly from the sun. It also has no moving or electronic parts and therefore there is no loss involved in storing and releasing solar energy.
We hope that with new developments we will be able to manufacture other materials that store even more energy.
The next step is to look for other MOF structures as well as other types of crystalline materials with greater potential for energy storage.
Taking Electrek
Innovations like these are of urgent importance as we move rapidly to green energy and move away from fossil fuels. Imagine having photovoltaic panels and the ability to store solar energy from those panels for month.
What a game changer this would be in the energy world, and especially for people who live in seasonal climates, like northern Europe, where it tends to be sunny in summer and gray in winter.
It’s a very exciting development, and certainly one to watch to see what the next step is ahead.
Photo: Pixabay / Pexels.com
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