Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Systems From Surface Science to Functional Devices

Written by leading experts of this field, this proceeding volume presents results from the International Symposium on “Functional Molecular Photoswitches For Energy Storage and Beyond” which took place in Barcelona, Spain on April 23th - 26th, 2024. This book is a comprehensive exploration of Molecular Switches and Devices (MOST) covering various aspects of those systems, including their performance criteria, computational discovery and evaluation, phase change behavior, catalysis, and applications such as energy storage devices and functional fabrics. It provides overviews of specific types of MOST systems, such as norbornadiene/quadricyclane, E/Z-azobenzene, and dihydroazulene/vinylheptafulvene and discusses their applications in devices and surface science. Additionally, it presents advanced topics like photoswitches in single molecule electronics and molecular rotors and switches on surfaces. Overall, the book provides a thorough overview of the design, development, and applications of Molecular Switches and Devices in various fields of science and technology and is a great tool for researchers and graduates interested in this area of research.

Introduction to Molecular Solar Thermal Systems.- Theoretical Investigations of Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Systems.- MOST systems with phase change behaviour.- Multimode Photoswitches Incorporating Dihydroazulene.- MOST systems and catalysis.- From Light to Heat with Azobenzenes – Tuning Energy Storage by Structural Design.- Emerging Photoswitches as Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) Systems.- Molecular solar thermal energy storage system based functional devices.- Azobenzene-based Molecules and Functional Fabrics.- Azopolymer-Based MOST Systems and Functional Devices.- Sunlight Activated Azo-Switches.- Photonic and Electronic Molecular Switches.- Molecular Switches on Surface.

Professor Kasper Moth-Poulsen is a research leader in the fields of nano-chemistry, energy storage materials and synthetic chemistry. His research activities focus on the development of automated chemistry laboratories, photon upconversion, and solar energy storage.
 
Kasper Moth-Poulsen studied organic chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, where he obtained the Cand. Scient. (2003) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees with prof. Thomas Bjørnholm. In 2009, he continued his career abroad as a postdoctoral associate at the College of Chemistry at U.C. Berkeley, where he worked with professors R. Segalman and P. Vollhardt. In 2011 he moved to Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, as an assistant professor, and in 2014 promoted to associate professor, in 2017 to professor, and in 2019 to full professor. In 2021 he joined the Catalan Institute of Advanced Studies (ICREA) and the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), and in 2023 the Polytechnic University of Catalunya (UPC). Kasper Moth-Poulsen is an associate editor of Journal of Materials Chemistry C and Materials Advances and is active in several start-up and spin-out companies.