Chemistry Thermochemistry

A new material provides high-performance conversion of heat into electricity, offering a way to make electronic devices more efficient.

Households, cars, and factories generate heat, much of which goes to waste. Likewise, the increasing usage of solar panels means heat needs to be stored at large amounts for longer periods of time. Thus, thermal storage is critical for carbon-neurtrality. A collaboration between Tohoku University and Japan Atomic Energy Agency has developed nanosheets of layered manganese dioxide that can store heat even below 100°C.

Photoswitching and thermal switching properties allow writing by irradiation or heat and erasing by visible light