Research on molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage aims to create solar-powered heat batteries from molecules that form bonds in sunlight. These bonds can later be cleaved to release stored energy as heat, restoring the starting materials.
A practical MOST heat battery would allow us to decrease global reliance on fossil fuels without competing with other sectors for electrical battery resources. Anthracene dimerization (charging) and retrocyclization (discharging) is a promising molecular platform for MOST, but its practical use is currently limited by the high temperatures needed for retrocyclization.
This project will build on preliminary results from the Bartholomew and Su research groups at Yale to develop anthracene dimers that retrocyclize at suitable temperatures for a MOST device (45-55 °C) or undergo acid, base, or Lewis acid-catalyzed retrocyclization at 25 °C. The outcome will be both new anthracene MOST candidates and design rules for further fine-tuning towards practical devices.
