New Materials for Solar Thermal Energy Storage and Conversion
In a future society with limited access to fossil fuels, technologies for efficient on demand
delivery of renewable energy are highly desirable. In this regard, methods that allow for solar
energy storage and on demand solar driven power generation are particularly relevant since
the sun is the most abundant energy source1. Recently, attention has been directed toward an
organometallic fulvalene diruthenium couple which has shown great potential for energy
storage capabilities and photoconversion in solution2-4 This organometallic molecule can store
solar energy in the form of chemical bonds and release the stored energy in the form of heat in
a reversible manner when stimulated thermally or catalytically. Demonstration of the practical
function of this material in a device is achieved by near complete conversion of highly
concentrated solutions of the molecule in a continuous flow micro fluidic reactor by the
means of light generated by a solar simulator.
We seek a skilled and highly motivated student for this challenging project that will focus on
the synthesis and testing of new materials for Solar Thermal Energy Storage and Conversion.
For further information, please contact:
Post doc Karl Börjesson: karl.borjesson@chalmers.se
Or Ass. Prof. Kasper Moth-Poulsen: kasper.moth-poulsen@chalmers.se
References
1.
Hammarström, L. & Hammes-Schiffer, S. Artificial Photosynthesis and Solar Fuels. Acc. Chem. Res. 42, 1859-1860 (2009).
2.
Boese, R., Cammack, J. K., Matzger, A. J., Pflug, K., Tolman, W. B., Vollhardt, K. P. C. & Weidman, T. W. Photochemistry of
(Fulvalene)tetracarbonyldiruthenium and It’s Derivatives: Efficient Light Energy Storage Devices. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 6757-6773
(1997).
3.
Zhu, B., Miljanic, O. S., Vollhardt, K. P. C. & West, M. J. Attractive Platforms for Dinuclear Transition Metal Fragments, as
Exemplified by (h5:h5-2,2’,3,3’-t-Bu4C10H4)M2(CO)n (M = Fe, Ru, Os, Mo) and First X-ray Crystal Structures of Fulvalene Diiron
and Diosmium Complexes. Synthesis, 2005, 3373-3379, (2005).
4.
Kanai, Y., Srinivasan, V., Meier, S. K., Vollhardt, K. P. C., & Grossman, J. C. Mechanism of Thermal Reversal of the
(Fulvalene)tetracarbonyldiruthenium Photoisomerization: Toward Molecular Solar–Thermal Energy Storage. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
49, 1-5, (2010).