title: Azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes as high-energy density solar thermal fuels.
abstract: Solar thermal fuels, which reversibly store solar energy in molecular bonds, are a tantalizing prospect for clean, renewable, and transportable energy conversion/storage. However, large-scale adoption requires enhanced energy storage capacity and thermal stability. Here we present a novel solar thermal fuel, composed of azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes, with the volumetric energy density of Li-ion batteries. Our work also demonstrates that the inclusion of nanoscale templates is an effective strategy for design of highly cyclable, thermally stable, and energy-dense solar thermal fuels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. kolpak@mit.edu
authors.forename: Alexie M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kolpak
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grossman