Research into new materials continues to offer innovative solutions to some of the major energy challenges of the 21st century. One example is the work developed by a research team at Northwestern University (USA), which has designed a liquid material capable of capturing energy from different sources, storing it for long periods, and releasing it when needed.

The behavior of this material is particularly interesting. In its initial state, it is a liquid, but upon absorbing energy—from light, electricity, chemical fuels, or even X-rays—its molecules spontaneously rearrange themselves, forming a gel. This new structure allows it to store electrons in a high-energy state for months. Subsequently, upon contact with oxygen, the gel returns to its liquid state and releases the stored energy, which can then be used to drive chemical reactions and recharge itself.

The design is inspired by the cell’s cytoskeleton, a dynamic network of proteins capable of continuous assembly and disassembly. Thanks to this bio-inspired approach, the research team has managed to integrate the functions of energy capture, storage, and release into a single material, without resorting to metallic components.

Although the development is still in an experimental phase and will have to pass stability, performance and durability tests before commercial applications can be considered, the study opens up interesting prospects for the development of flexible electronic devices, sensors, medical implants or new, more sustainable energy storage systems.

This work is a good example of how supramolecular chemistry and materials science can generate innovative solutions with the potential to transform the energy technologies of the future.

Source: https://www.cell.com/chem/abstract/S2451-9294(26)00141-5