Gas-Responsive Metal-Organic Frameworks for Adaptive Thermal Energy Storage with Tunable Charge-Discharge...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are crucial for energy decarbonization.
• A major challenge for phase change materials (PCMs) in TES is the lack of tunable charge and discharge temperatures.
• This limits the adaptability of single TES materials to varying ambient conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a dynamically tunable TES material.
• To enable a single material to operate effectively across a wide range of ambient temperatures.
• To overcome the limitations of fixed transition temperatures in conventional TES materials.

Main Methods:

• Utilized breathing caloric metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), specifically MOF-508b.
• Adjusted surrounding CO2 pressure (5-25 bar) under isobaric conditions to tune transition temperatures.
• Investigated the control over thermal hysteresis and transition temperature reversal.

Main Results:

• Achieved wide tunability of transition temperatures from -30 to 120 °C (243 to 393 K).
• Demonstrated precise control over thermal hysteresis.
• Showcased the ability to reverse transition temperatures (Tcharge < Tdischarge).

Conclusions:

• Presented a gas-responsive TES solution using MOF-508b with widely tunable transition temperatures.
• This method allows precise control over thermal hysteresis and temperature reversal, beneficial for TES.
• Paved the way for adaptive thermal technologies using a single material for diverse temperature applications.