Researchers at MIT invented a battery-like system that stores thermal energy and releases heat when needed. The key to this system is the use of a phase-change material (PCM) that, when exposed to high temperatures, Energy is stored in liquid form, and when it is cooled enough to return to solid form, energy is released.
Often, the biggest drawback to PCM is the large amount of insulation needed to maintain energy and uncontrollable solid-state speed.In order to solve these problems, MIT researchers combined their PCM and molecular switches with Change shape when exposed to light.
After the UV light hits the material, it is still in the liquid state, even without heat, and the second light makes the compound solid again, releasing energy. Massachusetts Institute of Technology postdoc Gary Han at the press conference Explained: 'What we are technically doing is installing a new energy barrier so that the stored heat can not be released immediately.'
The system, which stores about 200 joules of energy per gram and withstands temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius, maintains 10 hours of heat, a significant improvement over the current standards. With continuous research and development, the system will be further improved.
There are many potential uses for a system designed to store thermal energy by the MIT team and in the end this technology can provide solutions for people in developing countries without a traditional grid that not only absorbs the sun's heat but also It uses waste energy from industrial processes, which means it can absorb the heat generated by heavy machinery and then release the energy to heat it up.
