Scientists at MIT have created a new unconventional material that is highly effective at storing and releasing heat energy — and it could be used as a battery. Called AzoPMA, the new plastic-like polymer is capable of holding 100 times as much thermal energy as water. If further developed, a thermal battery which stores and releases heat could revolutionize solar energy, much as powerful traditional batteries have transformed the smart phone and electric car industries.
Research on AzoPMA was led by Dr. Dhandapani Venkataraman, a chemist at the University of Massachusetts, and recently published in the journal Nature. The material was given its name in reference to its azobenzene-based poly(methacrylate) composition. AzoPMA is able to hold so much thermal energy because it switches between two conformations, or shapes, depending on its heat. When the material is heated, molecules within take their high-energy form, which is effective at storing thermal energy. When it is cooled, they return to their low-energy form, which then releases heat energy as needed.
New ‘thermal battery’ soaks up heat energy like a sponge [Inhabitat]