• Remarkable reusable liquid stores solar energy like bottled sunlight Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Email Ever since Benjamin Franklin’s lightning experiment in the 18th century, civilization has been intrigued by the idea of capturing lightning in a bottle. • Over time, however, the idea evolved from literal to figurative. • Today, we may be seeing a return to the literal. • Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), may have figured out a way to bottle the sun, or at least its energy, using a Dewar pyrimidone solution. • One of the major challenges in solar energy utilization has been what happens when the sun goes down. • During the day, solar harvesters capture energy across the solar spectrum and convert it into usable energy.

Article Summaries:

  • Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have created a liquid that can store solar energy directly as heat, eliminating the need for conventional batteries. The solution contains engineered Dewar‑pyrimidone molecules that, when exposed to sunlight, undergo a reversible structural change, locking the molecules into a high‑energy state. The stored energy can be released later by applying a catalyst such as heat or acid, returning the molecules to their original shape and releasing heat. The process is repeatable and can last months or years, making it a promising, reusable molecular solar‑thermal (MOST) storage technology that could move beyond laboratory prototypes.
  • Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have created a liquid that can store solar energy directly as heat, eliminating the need for conventional batteries. The solution contains engineered pyrimidone molecules that, when exposed to sunlight, undergo a reversible structural change into a high‑energy “Dewar” form. The molecules remain locked in this state for months or years, holding the stored energy. When a catalyst such as heat or acid is applied, the molecules revert to their original shape, releasing the stored energy as heat. This molecular solar‑thermal (MOST) system represents a practical, reusable approach to solar energy storage.

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