Patent ID: 8950392
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: C09K,F28D,H01G,H01M,H02S,Y02E,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A system for converting light energy to thermal, mechanical or electrical energy, the system comprising: (a) a light-harvesting station containing a photochemically active organometallic compound, wherein the photochemically active organometallic compound is converted to a higher-energy organometallic compound upon exposure to light, wherein the photochemically active organometallic compound is a fulvalenyl diruthenium compound selected from the group consisting of the following compounds: (b) a storage station containing the higher-energy organometallic compound, wherein the higher-energy organometallic compound does not spontaneously convert to lower-energy compounds, but is capable of being converted to the lower-energy photochemically active organometallic compound upon exposure to a solid-state catalyst; and (c) a thermal energy release station containing the solid-state catalyst capable of catalyzing the catalytic conversion of the higher-energy organometallic compound to the lower-energy photochemically active organometallic compound at ambient temperatures without the need to heat the higher-energy organometallic compound, wherein the conversion of the higher-energy organometallic compound to the photochemically active organometallic compound releases at least about 15 kcal/mol of thermal energy.