Polymer based solid-state solar thermal fuels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10865336-B2
Application number	US-201616060944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2016
Priority date	Dec 10, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A polymer consisting of small functional molecules can be integrated into solar thermal fuels in the solid-state for solar energy harvesting and storage. In certain embodiments, a solar energy storage device can include one or more layers of photoswitchable moieties associated with a polymer. Such solar thermal fuel polymers can be used to enable deposition from low concentration solutions, resulting in uniform and large-area thin-films. This approach enables conformal deposition on a variety of conducting substrates that can be either flat or structured and control over film growth via electrodeposition conditions and results in highly uniform and large-area thin films.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy storage device comprising a solar thermal fuel including one of more layers of a plurality of photoswitchable moieties associated with a first polymer, wherein the plurality of photoswitchable moieties include a plurality of azobenzene moieties, a plurality of stilbene moieties, a plurality of norbornadiene moieties, or a plurality of spiropyran moieties, wherein the first polymer is a polystyrene or a polyolefin and wherein the energy storage device is in solid state.

2. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photoswitchable moieties are covalently linked to first polymer.

3. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first polymer is polystyrene.

4. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of azobenzene moieties have formula (I):

wherein:
each R 1 , independently, is H, halo, hydroxy, nitro, cyano, amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, —SO 3 H, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, alkoxy, cycloalkoxy, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclylalkyl, arylalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, —C(O)-alkyl, —C(O)-alkenyl, —C(O)— cycloalkyl, —C(O)-cycloalkenyl, —C(O)-alkoxy, —C(O)-cycloalkoxy, —C(O)-heterocyclyl, —C(O)-aryl, —C(O)-heteroaryl, —C(O)-heterocyclylalkyl, —C(O)-arylalkyl, or —C(O)-heteroarylalkyl;
each R 2 , independently, is H, halo, hydroxy, nitro, cyano, amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, —SO 3 H, alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, alkoxy, cycloalkoxy, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclylalkyl, arylalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, —C(O)-alkyl, —C(O)-alkenyl, —C(O)— cycloalkyl, —C(O)-cycloalkenyl, —C(O)-alkoxy, —C(O)-cycloalkoxy, —C(O)-heterocyclyl, —C(O)-aryl, —C(O)-heteroaryl, —C(O)-heterocyclylalkyl, —C(O)-arylalkyl, or —C(O)-heteroarylalkyl;
a is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;
b is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; and
- represents an optional covalent link to the first polymer.

5. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the photoswitchable moieties are converted from a lower-energy state to a higher-energy metastable state upon UV illumination.

6. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the photoswitchable moieties are reverted from a higher-energy metastable state to a lower-energy state by a trigger.

7. The energy storage device of claim 6 , wherein reverting from a higher-energy state to a lower-energy metastable state upon an external trigger induces heat release.

8. The energy storage device of claim 7 , wherein reverting from a higher-energy state to a lower-energy metastable state includes isomerization of the photoswitchable moieties.

9. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the first polymer is incorporated into a second polymer matrix.

10. An energy storage device comprising a solar thermal fuel including one of more layers of a plurality of photoswitchable moieties associated with a first polymer, wherein the plurality of photoswitchable moieties include a plurality of azobenzene moieties, a plurality of stilbene moieties, a plurality of norbornadiene moieties, or a plurality of spiropyran moieties, wherein the energy storage device is in solid state, wherein the first polymer is incorporated into a second polymer matrix and wherein the first polymer and the second polymer are crosslinked.

11. The energy storage device of claim 9 , wherein the second polymer includes acrylate.

12. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the one or more layers is between 100 nm and 100 μm.

13. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the photoswitchable moieties are functionalized.

14. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of ionizable moieties are associated with the first polymer.

15. The energy storage device of claim 14 , wherein the ionizable moieties includes carboxyl groups.

16. The energy storage device of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate, wherein the substrate is coated with the solar thermal fuel.

17. The energy storage device of claim 16 , wherein the substrate includes a conducting material.

18. The energy storage device of claim 16 , wherein the substrate includes a metal wire.

19. The energy storage device of claim 18 , wherein the metal wire is incorporated into a fabric.

20. The energy storage device of claim 16 , wherein the substrate includes indium tin oxide.

21. The energy storage device of claim 1 , wherein the solar thermal fuel further includes a binder.

22. A method of storing cyclable energy comprising:
providing an energy storage device comprising a solar thermal fuel including a plurality of photoswitchable moieties associated with a first polymer, wherein the plurality of photoswitchable moieties include a plurality of azobenzene moieties, a plurality of stilbene moieties, a plurality of norbornadiene moieties, or a plurality of spiropyran moieties, wherein the first polymer is a polystyrene or a polyolefin and wherein the energy storage device is in solid state;
illuminating the plurality of photoswitchable moieties, thereby converting the photoswitchable moieties to from a lower-energy state to a higher-energy metastable state;
storing the plurality of photoswitchable moieties in the higher-energy metastable state for a period of time; and
providing a trigger to cause the plurality of photoswitchable moieties to revert to the lower-energy state.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising releasing heat.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein converting the photoswitchable moieties to from a lower-energy state to a higher-energy metastable state includes isomerization of the photoswitchable moieties.

25. A method of manufacturing an energy storage device comprising:
providing a substrate;
depositing a layer of a first polymer solution on the substrate, a plurality of photoswitchable moieties associated with the first polymer, wherein the plurality of photoswitchable moieties include a plurality of azobenzene moieties, a plurality of stilbene moieties, a plurality of norbornadiene moieties, or a plurality of spiropyran moieties, wherein the first polymer is a polystyrene or a polyolefin; and
solidifying the layer.

26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising repeating depositing a layer of a first polymer solution on the substrate, a plurality of photoswitchable moieties associated with the first polymer and solidifying the layer.

27. The method of claim 25 , further comprising charging the device with UV illumination.

28. The method of claim 25 , wherein solidifying includes UV curing.

29. The method of claim 25 , wherein the first polymer solution further includes a second polymer, wherein the first polymer and the second polymer form crosslinks upon UV illumination.

30. The method of claim 25 , wherein depositing includes tape-casting, drop-casting or spin-coating.

31. The method of claim 25 , wherein depositing includes electrodeposition.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the first solution is dissolved in an electrolyte.

33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the first solution further includes water.

Assignees

• Massachusetts Inst Technology

Inventors

• Grossman Jeffrey C
• Zhitomirsky David

Classifications

• F24S60/00

  Arrangements for storing heat collected by solar heat collectors (working fluids forming pools or ponds F24S10/10) · CPC title

• Y02E10/40

  Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers · CPC title

• F24S80/20

  Working fluids specially adapted for solar heat collectors · CPC title

• F24S21/00

  Solar heat collectors not provided for in groups F24S10/00-F24S20/00 · CPC title

• F24S60/20

  using chemical reactions, e.g. thermochemical reactions or isomerisation reactions · CPC title