Researchers Discover Method Capable of Storing Solar Energy for Months at Room Temperature

Written by Flavia Marinho

Published on 18/12/2020 at 12:15

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The New Way of Capturing Energy Allows It to Be Stored for Months at Room Temperature, and Then Released When Needed in the Form of Heat.

A team from Lancaster University in the UK confirmed research done about 2 years ago by Japanese scientists who synthesized an ultraporous material they called DMOF, an ultraporous material that can directly capture energy from the Sun and store it for future use. Looking for a job? Manserv is hiring for an offshore position in Macaé

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“The material works somewhat like phase change materials, which are used to provide heat in hand warmers […]. However, while hand warmers need to be heated to recharge, the advantage of this material is that it captures free energy directly from the Sun”, says John Griffin, co-author of the study, quoted by the portal Science Alert.

Known as a metal-organic framework (MOF, in English), the material is made up of a network of metal ions linked by carbon-based molecules.

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About the MOF, the New Way of Storing Solar Energy

Kieran Griffiths and his colleagues filled the pores of DMOF-1 with azobenzene, a compound that strongly absorbs light. These molecules act as photo-switches – light-activated switches – since they are a type of “molecular machine” that can change shape when an external stimulus, such as light or heat, is applied.

The results speak for themselves: this compound was able to store ultraviolet energy for at least four months at room temperature before releasing it again, the study reports. Researchers estimate that the material has a lifespan of up to four and a half years.

At the moment, more work is needed to prepare the material for widespread use. Although tests have shown that the material can retain energy for months at a time, the energy density of the material is relatively low and researchers hope to improve it.

Researchers Discover Method Capable of Storing Solar Energy for Months at Room Temperature

The New Way of Capturing Energy Allows It to Be Stored for Months at Room Temperature, and Then Released When Needed in the Form of Heat.

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About the MOF, the New Way of Storing Solar Energy

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Researchers Discover Method Capable of Storing Solar Energy for Months at Room Temperature

The New Way of Capturing Energy Allows It to Be Stored for Months at Room Temperature, and Then Released When Needed in the Form of Heat.

Also Read

About the MOF, the New Way of Storing Solar Energy

Seen from space, an image taken by an astronaut shows an unlikely oasis in the Saudi Arabian desert, protected by a terrain that slows the advance of sand, surrounded by green circles, remnants of an extinct lake and nearly 10,000 years of preserved history.

While the U.S. still faces limitations in deep space, China is developing unprecedented technology with strategic satellites that maintain communication with the far side of the Moon and aims for dominance by 2030.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

The Blood Falls of Antarctica hide a living ecosystem trapped under the ice for over 2 million years, where microbes survive without light, without oxygen, and without ever having seen the Sun.

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