TY - JOUR

T1 - Liquid-Based Multijunction Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Collection Device

AU - Wang, Zhihang

AU - Moïse, Henry

AU - Cacciarini, Martina

AU - Nielsen, Mogens Brøndsted

AU - Morikawa, Masa aki

AU - Kimizuka, Nobuo

AU - Moth-Poulsen, Kasper

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the financial support from K. & A. Wallenberg foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Swedish research foundation FORMAS the Swedish Energy Agency, and the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 951801. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Photoswitchable molecules-based solar thermal energy storage system (MOST) can potentially be a route to store solar energy for future use. Herein, the use of a multijunction MOST device that combines various photoswitches with different onsets of absorption to push the efficiency limit on solar energy collection and storage is explored. With a parametric model calculation, it is shown that the efficiency limit of MOST concept can be improved from 13.0% to 18.2% with a double-junction system and to 20.5% with a triple-junction system containing ideal, red-shifted MOST candidates. As a proof-of-concept, the use of a three-layered MOST device is experimentally demonstrated. The device uses different photoswitches including a norbornadiene derivative, a dihydroazulene derivative, and an azobenzene derivative in liquid state with different MOSTproperties, to increase the energy capture and storage behavior. This conceptional device introduces a new way of thinking and designing optimal molecular candidates for MOST, as much improvement can be made by tailoring molecules to efficiently store solar energy at specific wavelengths.

AB - Photoswitchable molecules-based solar thermal energy storage system (MOST) can potentially be a route to store solar energy for future use. Herein, the use of a multijunction MOST device that combines various photoswitches with different onsets of absorption to push the efficiency limit on solar energy collection and storage is explored. With a parametric model calculation, it is shown that the efficiency limit of MOST concept can be improved from 13.0% to 18.2% with a double-junction system and to 20.5% with a triple-junction system containing ideal, red-shifted MOST candidates. As a proof-of-concept, the use of a three-layered MOST device is experimentally demonstrated. The device uses different photoswitches including a norbornadiene derivative, a dihydroazulene derivative, and an azobenzene derivative in liquid state with different MOSTproperties, to increase the energy capture and storage behavior. This conceptional device introduces a new way of thinking and designing optimal molecular candidates for MOST, as much improvement can be made by tailoring molecules to efficiently store solar energy at specific wavelengths.

KW - molecular solar thermal energy storage efficiency

KW - multijunction solar collector

KW - organic photoswitches

KW - solar energy storage

U2 - 10.1002/advs.202103060

DO - 10.1002/advs.202103060

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 34581516

AN - SCOPUS:85115880829

VL - 8

JO - Advanced Science

JF - Advanced Science

SN - 2198-3844

IS - 21

M1 - 2103060

ER -