A team of researchers at the University of Lancaster who studied a crystalline material discovered that it can capture solar energy, store it for several months at room temperature, and release it as needed.
The team hopes to further develop this material as there is ample potential to capture solar energy in the summer and store it for use in the winter.
This research, backed by the Leverhulm Foundation, was outlined in the journal ‘Long-term solar energy storage under ambient conditions in MOF-based solid-state conversion material’. The team includes John Griffin, Kieran Griffiths and Nathan Halkovich from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Lancaster.
According to the team, the invention is most important for off-grid systems or for heating in remote locations. This material can also act as an environmentally friendly filler for conventional heating in homes and offices.
The panel says the material can be made into a thin coating and applied to building surfaces or car windscreens, where glass can de-ice in hot cold winters.
The crystalline material is based on a form of ‘metal-organic structure’ (MOF) that forms 3D (three-dimensional) structures with a network of metal ions connected by carbon-based molecules. MOFs are porous, which is important for creating composite materials by hosting other small molecules within their structures.
The study team in Lancaster tested the MOF compound, which a research team from Kyoto University in Japan called ‘DMOF1’; The team wondered if DMOF could be used to store energy that had not been previously researched.
MOF pores are filled with azobenzene molecules, which absorb light and act as photosynthesis — a type of ‘molecular machine’ that can change shape when external stimuli such as light or heat are used.
During the experiments, the researchers emitted ultraviolet light, which transformed the azobenzene molecules into a filtered localization inside the MOF pores. This process saves energy like a curved spring. The narrow MOF pores trap the azobenzene molecules in their filtered form, helping to store energy for a long time at room temperature.
Energy is released when external heat is used as a stimulus to change its position, which researchers say is almost instantaneous. This provides a heat sink that can be used to heat other items in the device.
Further tests demonstrate that the material can store energy for at least four months. Extended storage capacity is an exciting aspect of innovation. This opens up the possibility of cross-seasonal storage as many light-responsive materials return within hours or days.
The concept of saving solar energy in photoswitches has been studied before. However, for the previous examples the photo switches had to be in a fluid. Since MOF composite is not a solid fuel but a liquid fuel, it is chemically stable and fast, making it easy to make coatings or complete devices.
Dr. John Griffin, Senior Lecturer in Material Chemistry at the University of Lancaster and co-principal researcher on the study, said: “These materials act like phase-shifting materials that are used to deliver heat at hand heat. However, when hand warmers need to be heated to recharge, the good thing about this material is that it captures ‘free’ energy directly from the sun. It has no moving or electronic components, so there is no loss in solar energy storage and output. We hope to be able to create other products that will save even more energy with further development. ”
Although the results for this long-term energy-saving material are promising, its energy density is moderate. The next step is to research other MOF structures and alternative types of crystalline materials with the most significant energy saving potential.
Researchers at the National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra said they had recently developed a new method to control direct voltage for phase-connected solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems. The researchers explained that electrical system engineers faced many technical challenges as renewable energy was increasingly infiltrated for generations to be distributed. The voltage level increases as active electricity is supplied from the sun to the distribution system. The problem is exacerbated when solar power is at its peak during the day.
Rahul Merkam is an employee reporter in India. Before entering the renewable world, Rahul was the head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked on DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Coming from a banking and financial background, Rahul, J.P. He has also worked for Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. Additional articles from Rahul Nair.