UC Santa Barbara Scientists Develop Liquid Solar Battery Using DNA-Inspired Molecules
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a novel liquid battery system capable of storing solar energy within chemical bonds for later release as heat. Published in the journal Science, the study details a modified organic molecule called pyrimidone, inspired by reversible structural changes in DNA and photochromic sunglasses. This Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) technology allows the material to absorb sunlight, shift into a high-energy state, and remain stable for years until triggered by heat or a catalyst to release stored energy. The system boasts an energy density of over 1.6 megajoules per kilogram, surpassing conventional lithium-ion batteries. In practical demonstrations, the material successfully generated enough heat to boil water under ambient conditions, marking a significant milestone for renewable energy storage. This innovation offers a potential solution to the intermittency of solar power, enabling energy use during cloudy weather or at night without relying on bulky electrical grid infrastructure. The team, led Associate Professor Grace Han and doctoral student Han Nguyen, emphasizes the material's reusability, compact design, and potential for various real-world applications in sustainable energy systems.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection
Wire timeline
UC Santa Barbara Scientists Develop Liquid Solar Battery Using DNA-Inspired Molecules
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have developed a novel liquid battery system capable of storing solar energy within chemical bonds for later release as heat. Published in the journal Science, the study details a modified organic molecule called pyrimidone, inspired by reversible structural changes in DNA and photochromic sunglasses. This Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) technology allows the material to absorb sunlight, shift into a high-energy state, and remain stable for years until triggered by heat or a catalyst to release stored energy. The system boasts an energy density of over 1.6 megajoules per kilogram, surpassing conventional lithium-ion batteries. In practical demonstrations, the material successfully generated enough heat to boil water under ambient conditions, marking a significant milestone for renewable energy storage. This innovation offers a potential solution to the intermittency of solar power, enabling energy use during cloudy weather or at night without relying on bulky electrical grid infrastructure. The team, led Associate Professor Grace Han and doctoral student Han Nguyen, emphasizes the material's reusability, compact design, and potential for various real-world applications in sustainable energy systems.