Quantum Computers Screen 400,000 Molecules to Find Optimized Solar Energy Storage Photoswitches
• Researchers used quantum computing to analyze a database of over 400,000 molecules to identify the best molecular photoswitches for improving solar energy storage • The EU-funded MOST project is exploring using photoswitches to absorb and store solar energy at room temperature for emission-free solar energy utilization • Researchers studied bicyclic diene molecules which switch to a high-energy state when illuminated as candidate solar energy storage photoswitches • Screening identified 6 top scoring molecule structures that differ from the original norbornadiene quadricyclane system, allowing more solar energy storage • While promising, the new molecules must still be synthesized and tested under real conditions before their viability for optimizing solar energy storage is confirmed