New discovery may allow solar power to work at night
SCIENCE -
Researchers have come up with an arrangement of molecules known as photoswitches that can allow solar power to be stored and released on demand.
"Some molecules, known as photoswitches, can assume either of two different shapes, as if they had a hinge in the middle. Exposing them to sunlight causes them to absorb energy and jump from one configuration to the other, which is then stable for long periods of time."MIT
A study published April in the journal Nature Chemistry describes how photoswitches can be used to harness and output solar energy when the sun isn't shining — a possible breakthrough, said researchers from Harvard and MIT.
When photoswitches absorb the sun's energy, their molecular structure changes. A catalyst or a higher temperature can force the photoswitch to change back to its original structure, releasing heat. Past studies showed little heat could be generated this way.
Researchers found a way to greatly increase the amount of energy released, by connecting a photoswitching substance called azobenzine to a template of carbon nanotubes. The result was "solar thermal fuel," a form of clean energy that doesn't produce any greenhouse gases.
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"It could change the game, since it makes the sun's energy, in the form of heat, storable and distributable. Now we're looking at whole new classes of solar thermal materials where you can enhance this interactivity."JEFFREY GROSSMAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING AT MIT
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