Solar-energy-storing photoswitch successfully switches environments
Solar-energy-storing photoswitch successfully switches environments lead image
A molecular photoswitch can capture and store solar energy, which could aid in the transition to renewable energy. One photoswitch system of recent interest consists of a norbornadiene (NBD) / quadricyclane (QC) couple. When energy-poor NBD converts to its energy-rich isomer QC, this process can store as much chemical energy as state-of-the-art batteries.
Traditionally, some molecular photoswitches can release stored energy as heat. For the release of stored energy as electricity, the photoswitch must interact with a semiconducting oxide surface. Bertram et al. prepared a hybrid NBD/QC-derivative photoswitch anchored to a semiconductor film in ultra-high vacuum.
The authors were able to photochemically switch their hybrid interface under liquid conditions for the first time.
“We believe that our work is a key step towards a direct electric release of the energy stored
in photoswitches,” said author Olaf Brummel. “This would enable a new class of energy conversion and storage devices.”
The authors deposited a monolayer derivative of NBD on the surface of the semiconductor film, and transferred this interface into a liquid electrolyte. The anchored monolayer remained intact, and the authors were able to photochemically convert it to its energy-rich counterpart. This shows that an NBD/QC photoswitch anchored to a semiconducting oxide surface can function in both liquid and electrochemical environments.
Next, to allow electrochemically triggered reconversion back out of the energy-rich state, the authors will search for anchoring units that are more resistant to oxidation.
Source: “Norbornadiene photoswitches anchored to well-defined oxide surfaces: From ultrahigh vacuum into the liquid and the electrochemical environment,” by Manon Bertram, Fabian Waidhas, Martyn Jevric, Lukas Fromm, Christian Schuschke, Maximilian Kastenmeier, Andreas Görling, Kasper Moth-Poulsen, Olaf Brummel, and Jörg Libuda, Journal of Chemical Physics (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5137897 .
