Water-Soluble Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) System: Photochemical Switching and Catalytic Back-Conversion of 2,5-Norbornadiene-2,3-Dicarboxylic Acid

Castro Baroffio F, Franz E, Pacheco M, Pacheco D, Torres J, Seoane G, Manta E, Ramos JC, Hussain Z, Korenko S, Bachmann J, Oberhof N, Dreuw A, Brummel O, Libuda J, Gancheff JS (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

DOI: 10.1002/chem.202502510

Abstract

In this study, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of the energy storage and release of water-soluble 2,5-norbornadiene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (DC-NBD) integrating spectroscopic characterization, pH-dependent speciation, and photochemical response analysis. We evaluate protonation and dimerization equilibria using potentiometric and ¹H-NMR techniques, revealing three well-defined pH intervals that affect the reactivity and stability of the system. The photoinduced conversion of DC-NBD to DC-QC was investigated at different pH conditions, while the catalytic back-conversion of the most stable quadricyclane species (DC-QC^2–) was evaluated on Au(111) and Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces by time-resolved photochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PC-IRRAS) and density functional theory. Our findings demonstrate that photoisomerization and catalytic back-conversion can be efficiently conducted in an aqueous environment, eliminating the need for organic solvents. This study advances the development of water-soluble MOST systems, offering key insights into the molecular design and optimization of sustainable photoactive materials. Future research should focus on enhancing photochemical efficiency, improving long-term stability, searching for more active catalysts and scaling these systems for practical solar energy storage applications.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

University of the Republic / Universidad de la República (UdelaR) Uruguay (UY) Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Castro Baroffio, F., Franz, E., Pacheco, M., Pacheco, D., Torres, J., Seoane, G.,... Gancheff, J.S. (2026). Water-Soluble Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) System: Photochemical Switching and Catalytic Back-Conversion of 2,5-Norbornadiene-2,3-Dicarboxylic Acid. Chemistry - A European Journal. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202502510

MLA:

Castro Baroffio, Franco, et al. "Water-Soluble Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) System: Photochemical Switching and Catalytic Back-Conversion of 2,5-Norbornadiene-2,3-Dicarboxylic Acid." Chemistry - A European Journal (2026).

BibTeX: Download