Principles and applications of photothermal and solar energy storage

What is solar energy photothermal conversion & storage?

For solar energy photothermal conversion and storage systems, materials not only have efficient photothermal conversion capabilities, but also provide a place for storage and energy exchange for phase change media, while avoiding problems such as leakage and poor thermal conductivity during the phase change process.

How can photothermal conversion materials solve the solar energy imbalance?

Using photothermal conversion materials to capture solar energy, energy conversion, and then through phase change materials to store solar energy can effectively solve the imbalance between the use of solar energy in time and space supply and demand.

Why do we need a photothermal storage media?

These factors hinder the continuous energy conversion of photothermal materials, necessitating collaboration with storage media. The mismatch between demands and supplies in time and space can be efficiently addressed by utilizing PCM to store solar energy after it has been captured and converted using photothermal conversion materials.

What are the basic principles of photothermal catalysis?

In this review, we first introduce the fundamental principles of photothermal catalysis, including different mechanisms of photothermal conversion (i.e., plasmonic localized heating, non-radiative relaxation of semiconductors, and thermal vibration in molecules) and different types of photothermal catalytic processes.

What is a photothermal process?

A photothermal process is a direct conversion of solar light, which can exhibit maximally achievable efficiency of energy conversion compared with other solar energy utilization technologies.

What are the requirements for solar photothermal conversion material?

The practical solar photothermal conversion material must meet the absorption rate of δ ≥ 0.95 and the emissivity ε ≤ 0.07.