Organic molecule stores renewable energy with record stability, paving the way for better flow batteries

What if the energy produced by wind turbines on a beautiful summer day could be stored until January to heat homes in the dead of winter? It might be possible, thanks to the discovery of a new organic molecule that can hold a charge for months with virtually no loss of energy. Dubbed AzoBiPy, the molecule was developed by a research team in the Department of Chemistry at Université de Montréal in collaboration with Concordia University researchers. Their results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.