Molecular Solar Thermal Battery
Sunlight locks energy into strained molecular bonds — then a trigger releases it as heat. Inspired by the UC Santa Barbara team's May 2026 demonstration of a solid-state rechargeable solar thermal fuel storing 96 kJ/mol with zero self-discharge.
NBD — norbornadiene, ground stateQC — quadricyclane, charged state
Molecules in ground state — absorb sunlight to charge
Molecules
32
in simulation
Charged
0
/ 32 molecules
Stored Energy
0%
of max capacity
Temperature
22 °C
ambient + release
MOST Energy Cycle
Solar Thermal Fuels · cycles every 5s
Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST)
Norbornadiene (NBD) absorbs UV light and isomerizes into quadricyclane (QC), locking up to 96 kJ/mol into strained chemical bonds — no battery, no rare metals, just molecular geometry.