UK scientists discover new ceramic material that can store solar energy without using any type of battery. Energy storage can remain intact for up to 4 months.

A few years ago, scientists in Japan synthesized a type of ceramic with an Ultra Porous structure. At the time, there was already a suspicion of the properties of this material in absorbing heat and solar radiation. Some time later, other scientists from the United Kingdom confirmed this suspicion, coming to the conclusion that the type of ceramic is actually capable of directly capture solar energy and realize energy storage.

Understand how this material can store solar energy

The structure of the ceramic material, called Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFS), is composed of a network of metal ions linked by carbon molecules, enabling the formation of a 3D structure. As previously mentioned, this structure differs from others due to its porous characteristic, that is, it is possible to host other small molecules in its structure and, in this way, generate composite materials.

Contrary to what you might imagine, this material will not absorb solar energy instantly. Therefore, researchers from the United Kingdom had the idea of ​​taking such a porous material and placed several molecules of another material which, in fact, stores energy, forming a complete molecule, which works like a photo switch, being able to change its shape when it comes into contact with sunlight.

The material works like a spring that, when compressed, will have an accumulation of energy and, when it is no longer compressed, the spring will return to its natural state and release this energy. So this is very similar to what happens with this ceramic material.

Inside its pores, the molecules of Azobenzene, which is the material that absorbs solar energy, is located in a distended format, that is, as if it were a stretched spring. When they come into contact with ultraviolet light, the molecules absorb the light and change their stretched shape to a more compressed one.

New material promises to store solar energy for about 4 months

This entire process of compression and decompression releases energy and, therefore, at room temperature, this energy will remain stored and some tests already carried out in laboratories prove that the material has the capacity to retain energy for at least 4 months until the molecules begin to return to its original state and energy is lost.

This is a major advance, given that the current batteries, even when charged, if not used for a long period of time, chemical reactions will cause the stored energy to be lost.

To harness this energy again with this new material, simply apply a heat source from this material and this release will happen very quickly, as if it were recharging the battery. The material could be used for two applications, using heat directly or using heat to generate electrical energy.

China tests unprecedented energy storage technology

In October last year, China connected the flow battery with the highest power and energy storage capacity ever developed in the world to its electrical grid.

The flow battery, called Dalian, has a capacity of 100 MW, which will be used to smooth the peaks and valleys of sustainable energy generation, providing electricity at a constant level even when the wind is not turning the wind turbines, or at night when solar power panels do not generate electricity.

The flow battery project was created by the group of professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry Dalian Xianfeng Li, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the system was developed and integrated by Rongke Power Co.