SHI YURAN (US)
US10390531B2 | 2019-08-27 |
GONZALEZ ET AL.: "Solid-state photoswitching molecules: structural design for isomerization in condensed phase", MATERIALS TODAY ADVANCES, vol. 6, no. 100058, 2020, XP055962839
HAN ET AL.: "Optically-regulated thermal energy storage in diverse organic phase-change materials", CHEM. COMMUN., vol. 54, no. 10722, 2018, XP055962842
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A compound of Formula (I): wherein are independently aryl or heteroaryl 5- or 6-membered rings; R1, R2, R3, and R4 are each in an ortho position to the azo group, and each is independently selected from halogen, C1 to C6 alkoxy, C1 to C6 alkylthio, halomethyl, dihalomethyl, trihalomethyl, and di(C1 to C6 alkyl)amino; R5 is H, C1 to C6 alkyl, C1 to C6 alkoxy, halogen, trihalomethyl, or cyano; Q is X is –OC(O)–, –OC(S)–, –NHC(O)–, –SC(O)–, –NHC(S)–, –NHC(O)NH–, –NHC(S)NH–, –C(O)NHC(O)–; and Z is a C6 to C18 straight- or branched-chain hydrocarbon. 2. The compound according of claim 1, wherein the compound of Formula (I) has the structure of Formula (Ia): . The compound according to claim 1, wherein independently selected from the group consisting of phenyl, imidazolyl, oxazolyl, isoxazolyl, thiazolyl, and isothiazolyl. 4. The compound according to claim 3, wherein are the same. are different. 6. The compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is a halogen selected from F, Cl, and Br. 7. The compound according to claim 1 or 2 or 6, wherein each of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is the same. 8. The compound according to claim 7, wherein each of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is F or Cl. 9. The compound according to claim 7, wherein each of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is methoxy or ethoxy. 10. The compound according to claim 1 or 2 or 6, wherein each of R1, R2, R3, and R4 are not all the same. 11. The compound according to claim 10, wherein two of R1, R2, R3, and R4 are F, and the other two of R1, R2, R3, and R4 are Cl. 12. The compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Z is a C8 to C30 straight-chain hydrocarbon. 13. The compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Z is a C8 to C30 branched-chain hydrocarbon. 14. The compound according to claim 1 or 2 or 12 or 13, wherein the hydrocarbon is saturated. 15. The compound according to claim 1 or 2 or 12 or 13, wherein the hydrocarbon is mono-or poly-unsaturated. 16. The compound according to claim 1 or 2, wherein Q is –OC(O)– or –OC(S)–. 17. The compound according to claim 16, wherein the compound is selected from the group of: . 18. The compound according to any one of claims 1 to 17, in the form of a Z-isomer. 19. The compound according to any one of claims 1 to 17, in the form of an E-isomer. 20. The compound according to any one of claims 1 to 17, in the form of a mixture of a Z-isomer and an E-isomer. 21. A composition comprising one or more compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) according to any one of claims 1 to 20. 22. The composition according to claim 21, wherein the composition consists of or consists essentially of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia). 23. The composition according to claim 21, wherein the composition further comprises an organic phase-change material in which the compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) are dispersed while in the liquid state. 24. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the organic phase-change material comprises one or more of aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, or combinations thereof. 25. The composition according to claim 23, wherein the organic phase-change material comprises one or more of C10 to C30 hydrocarbons, C10 to C30 fatty acids, C10 to C30 fatty alcohols, or combinations thereof. 26. The composition according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the organic phase-change material is present in the composition in an amount of about 30 to about 70 weight percent (based on the total weight of the composition). 27. The composition according to any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the organic phase-change material is present in the composition in an amount of about 15 to about 65 mol percent. 28. The composition according to claim 21, wherein the composition further comprises a polymer solution or film in which the compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) are dispersed. 29. The composition according to claim 28, wherein the polymer solution or film is a polyolefin, a polyacrylate, a polystyrene, a polymethyl methacrylate, a polyester, a polyamide, a polyurethane, a polypropylene, a polyethylene (including polytetrafluoroethylenes and polychlorotrifluoroethylenes), or a combination thereof. 30. The composition according to claim 28, wherein the polymer solution or film is a (co)polymer film. 31. The composition according to any one of claims 21 to 30, wherein the one or more compounds of formula (I) or (Ia) is present in the form of a Z-isomer. 32. The composition according to any one of claims 21 to 30, wherein the one or more compounds of formula (I) or (Ia) is present in the form of an E-isomer. 33. The composition according to any one of claims 21 to 30, wherein the one or more compounds of formula (I) or (Ia) is present in the form of a mixture of a Z-isomer and an E-isomer. 34. A composite structure comprising a porous structural component and a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or a composition according to any one of claims 21 to 33. 35. The composite structure according to claim 34, wherein the porous structural component comprises an aerogel, a xerogel, a nanotube, metal organic framework, covalent organic framework, zeolite, graphene, graphene oxide, graphite, transition metal dichalcogenide, or hexagonal boron nitride. 36. A composite structure comprising an enclosure that comprises an optically transparent wall and defines a compartment comprising a compound according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or a composition according to any one of claims 21 to 33. 37. The composite structure according to claim 36, wherein the optically transparent wall comprises a glass or polymeric material. 38. A thermal storage system comprising a composite structure according to any one of claims 34 to 37. 39. The thermal storage system according to claim 38 further comprising a light source that emits a wavelength of light suitable to induce an isomeric phase-change of the compound or composition of the composite structure, a switch that controls operation of the light source, and either a power source or a connector adapted for connecting the thermal storage system to a power source. 40. The thermal storage system according to claim 39, wherein the switch is a thermo-sensitive switch or a manually operable switch. 41. The thermal storage system according to claim 39, wherein a plurality of composition structures and a plurality of light sources are present. 42. The thermal storage system according to claim 39 or 41, wherein the light source(s) are LED light source(s). 43. The thermal storage system according to claim 38, wherein a thermal conducting element is present. 44. The thermal storage system according to claim 43, wherein the thermal conducting element forms a portion of the enclosure or the porous structural component. 45. The thermal storage system according to claim 39, wherein the power source is a battery. 46. The thermal storage system according to claim 38, wherein the system comprises a reservoir for storing liquid form of the compound (predominantly comprising the Z-isomer) and a pump. 47. A process for preparation of a compound of Formula (I) or (Ia) as defined in claim 16, said process comprising: providing a compound of Formula (II) or (IIa): effective to form the compound according to formula (I) or (Ia). 48. The process according to claim 47, wherein the conditions comprise effective amounts of N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 4-dimethylaminopyridine dissolved in dichloromethane. 49. The process according to claim 47 or 48, wherein X is O. 50. The process according to claim 47, wherein the compound of formula (II) or (II) is prepared by reacting, under effective conditions, a compound according to (III) or (IIIa) with a compound according to (IV) or (IVa), respectively. 51. Use of one or more compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or a composition according to any one of claims 21 to 33, as a thermal-storage material. 52. A method of storing energy comprising: providing an energy storage device comprising one or more compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) according to any one of claims 1 to 20, or a composition according to any one of claims 21 to 33, whereby the one or compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) is present as an E-isomer; activating the compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) to produce a Z-isomer thereof; and storing the Z-isomer of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) for a period of time. 53. The method of claim 52, wherein said activating involves exposing to the energy storage device to sunlight or light having a wavelength in the visible spectrum. 54. The method of claim 52 further comprising: inducing the Z-isomer of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) to isomerize back to E-isomer state, thereby releasing energy stored during said activating. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein said inducing is optically triggered crystallization. 56. The method of claim 55, wherein the optically triggered crystallization is induced by exposing the Z-isomer to light in the UV- or visible spectrum. 57. The method of claim 55, wherein the optically triggered crystallization occurs below room temperature. 58. The method of claim 55, wherein the optically triggered crystallization occurs below 0ºC. 59. The method of claim 52, wherein said storing is carried out for a period of time exceeding 24 hours. 60. The method of claim 52, wherein said storing is carried out for a period of time exceeding 48 hours. 61. The method of claim 52, wherein said storing is carried out for a period of time from about 2 days up to about 14 days. 62. The method of claim 54, comprising repeated cycles of said activating, storing, and inducing. |
. [0060] According to another embodiment of this first aspect, the compound of Formula (I) or (Ia) is present in a form of a Z-isomer. According to another embodiment of this first aspect, the compound of Formula (I) or (Ia) is present in a form of a E-isomer. According to yet another embodiment of this first aspect, the compound of Formula (I) or (Ia) is present in the form of a mixture of a Z-isomer and an E-isomer. [0061] Another aspect of the present application relates to a process for preparation of a compound of Formula (I) or (Ia). These compounds of Formula (I) and (Ia) can be prepared according to several processes, which are described and illustrated in the accompanying examples. Additional synthesis procedures, outlined below, can be adapted from previously reports (as cited below), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0062] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by reacting acyl chloride (101) with azobenzene (102) in a presence of a base, such as diisopropyl ethyl amine (Banghart et al., “Photochromic Blockers of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels,” Angewandte Chemie 48(48):9097-9101 (2009), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0063] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can also be prepared by first reacting amine (104) with nitrobenzene (105) to form azobenzene (106). Subsequently, azobenzene (106) can be acylated using acylchloride (107) (Crivillers et al., “Large Work Function Shift of Gold Induced by a Novel Perfluorinated Azobenzene-Based Self-Assembled Monolayer,” Adv. Materials 25(3):432-436 (2013), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0064] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by reacting thiol (109) with azobenzene (110) in aqueous alkali (Dalton et al., “Syntheses of Some Thiol Esters for Acylation of Proteins,” Australian J Chemistry 34:759-764 (1981), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0065] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can also be prepared by reacting isocyanate (112) with azobenzene (113) under reflux in anhydrous acetonitrile (Dabrowa et al., “Anion-Tunable Control of Thermal Z→E Isomerisation in Basic Azobenzene Receptors,” Chem. Commun.50:15748-15751 (2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0066] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by reacting acyl amine (115) with azobenzene (116) in a mixture of ethanol with 1,2-dichloroethane (Kato et al., “Optical Detection of Anions Using N-(4-(4-Nitrophenylazo)phenyl)-N′-propyl Thiourea Bound Silica Film,” New J. Chem.37:717-721 (2013), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0067] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by reacting isocyanate (118) with azobenzene (119) in a toluene (Tian et al., “Azobenzene- Benzoylphenylureas as Photoswitchable Chitin Synthesis Inhibitors,” Org. Biomol. Chem. 15:3320-3323 (2017), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0068] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by reacting compound (121) with aryl amine or heteroaryl amine (122-126) to form azobenzenes (127-131). Subsequently, azobenzenes (127-131) can be acylated using acylchloride (132) (Li et al., “Smart Azobenzene-Containing Tubular Polymersomes: Fabrication and Multiple Morphological Tuning,” Chem. Commun., 56:6237-6240 (2020); Huang et al., “Synthesis and Z- Scan Measurements of Third-Order Optical Nonlinearity of Azothiazole- and Azobenzothiazole- Containing Side-Chain Polymers, ” Polym. Bull.73:1545–1552 (2016); Sener et al., “Azocalixarenes.3: Synthesis and investigation of the Absorption Spectra of Hetarylazo Disperse Dyes Derived From Calix[4]arene,” Dyes and Pigments 62(2):141-148 (2004), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety). [0069] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can also be prepared by reacting compound (138) with pyrrole derivative (139) in the presence of dicyclohexyl-18- crown-6 (Anderson et al., “Benzenediazonium Ions: Structure, Complexation, and Reactivity,” J. Chem. Soc., 2:1239-1241 (1987), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0070] Compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) of the present application can be prepared by first diazotizing aniline derivative (141) with sodium nitrite in hydrochloric acid and then reacting the intermediate with imidazole (142) and anhydrous sodium carbonate (Lin et al., “Properties and Applications of Designable and Photo/Redox Dual Responsive Surfactants With the New Head Group 2-Arylazo-imidazolium,” RSC Adv.6:51552-51561 (2016), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). [0071] According to one embodiment, where Q is –OC(O)– or –OC(S)–, the process includes the steps of providing a compound of Formula (II) or (IIa): reacting the compound of formula under conditions effective to form the compound according to formula (I) or (Ia). In one embodiment X is O, and in another embodiment X is S. [0072] In one embodiment, the reaction conditions comprise effective amounts of N,N′- dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 4-dimethylaminopyridine dissolved in dichloromethane. [0073] In another embodiment, the compound of formula (II) or (IIa) is prepared by reacting, under effective conditions, a compound according to (III) or (IIIa) defined as set forth above. [0074] Another aspect of the present application relates to a composition that includes one or more compounds of Formula (I) or Formula (Ia) according to the first aspect of the application. [0075] In one embodiment, the composition consists of a single compound of Formula (I) or (Ia) in a substantially pure form, such as at least about 95% pure, at least about 97% pure, at least about 98% pure, or at least about 99% pure. This is without regard to the (E)/(Z) form of the compound. [0076] In another embodiment, the composition contains two or more compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia), with or without additional diluents. This is without regard to the (E)/(Z) form of the compound. [0077] In a further embodiment, the composition further contains one or more compounds of Formula (I), (Ia), with or without additional diluents. [0078] Suitable diluents include, without limitation, organic solvents as well as organic phase-change materials (PCM) in which the compounds are dispersed while in the liquid state. [0079] Phase-change materials (PCM) for use in the present application include alkanes (aliphatic hydrocarbons), fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters, paraffin waxes, polyethylene glycols, sugar alcohols, salts of fatty acid, and combinations thereof. They can have an origin derived from animal fat, animal grease, vegetable oil, vegetable wax, synthetic compounds and/or combinations of two or more thereof. Due to phenomena described by freezing point depression theory, mixtures generally tend to release latent heat over a larger temperature range than pure components. Whereas pure components are often referred to as having a melting point temperature, mixtures typically have a melting point temperature range. [0080] In some embodiments, the composition further comprises an organic phase- change material in which the compounds of Formula (I) or (Ia) are dispersed while in the liquid state. [0081] In certain embodiments, the organic phase-change material comprises one or more of aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, or combinations thereof. [0082] The aliphatic hydrocarbons, fatty acid, and fatty alcohol phase change materials can have a C8 to C30 hydrocarbon chain, preferably those having a C10 to C30 hydrocarbon chain. The hydrocarbon chain can be saturated or unsaturated, although it is preferably saturated. In one embodiment, the composition includes a fatty acid or fatty alcohol as the phase change material. [0083] Suitable fatty acids include those occurring naturally in triglycerides as well as synthetic fatty acids. Fatty acids can be obtained from the hydrolysis of triglycerides, as is well known in the art. Exemplary fatty acids for use in the preset application include, but are not limited to oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, tridecanoic acid, pentadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, nonadecanoic acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, and lauric acid as well as combinations of two or more thereof. Frequently available fatty acids can be hydrates and hydrogenated acids of any of the preceding acids. [0084] The fatty acid esters can be formed with alcohols, diols, and/or polyols, including, but not limited to, mono-, di- or triglycerides of glycerol, esters of pentaerythritol, polyesters of polyhydric alcohols, esters of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, isobutanol, pentanol, hexanol, cyclohexanol, esters or diesters of ethylene glycol and/or combinations of two or more thereof. The fatty acid esters can be mono-, di- or triglycerides of glycerol, and/or combinations thereof. Additionally, the fatty acid esters can be ester of higher fatty acids with higher monohydric alcohols. [0085] Esters of fatty acids can be formed by a variety of methods known in the art including transesterification or hydrolysis followed by esterification. The advantage of this approach is that relatively pure components having targeted melting point temperatures can be synthesized. [0086] For example, a multitude of esters of oleic acid can be formed by complete esterification with methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, isobutanol, pentanol, hexanol, cyclohexanol, phenol, ethylene glycol, glycerin, diethylene glycol, and many more. To a first approximation, the oleate esters formed with each of these esters will result in different melting point temperatures. Furthermore, mixtures of two of the esters have the potential to form mixtures having relatively narrow and useful melting point temperature ranges. [0087] Exemplary fatty alcohols for use as PCMs include, but are not limited to, dodecanol (lauryl alcohol), tetradecanol (myristyl alcohol), hexadecanol (cetyl alcohol), and octadecanol (stearyl alcohol). [0088] In another embodiment, the phase change material is a long chain alkanes or alkene with minimal branching, or no branching; of these, long chain alkanes with minimal branching are preferred. These hydrocarbons are able to solidify at temperatures above 0°C, and can absorb heat and melt. Alkanes ranging in carbon length from C14 to C30 may be particularly useful in the present application. Exemplary alkane PCMs of the present application include, but are not limited to long chain aliphatic such as tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, heptadecane, octadecane, nonadecane, icosane, henicosane, docosane, tricosane, tetracosane, pentacosane, hexacosane, heptacosane, octacosane, nonacosane, icosane, and triacontane. [0089] Additionally, natural and synthetic polymers may be use for phase change materials in the present application. Exemplary polymers include, but are not limited to polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), poly(diethyl acrylamide), poly(tert-butylacrylate), poly(isopropyl methacrylamide), hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, poly(oxazoline), and poly(organophosphazenes). [0090] A sugar alcohol (also known as a polyol, polyhydric alcohol, or polyalcohol) is a hydrogenated form of a saccharide, whose carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone, reducing sugar) has been reduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group. They are commonly used for replacing sucrose in foodstuffs, often in combination with high intensity artificial sweeteners to counter the low sweetness.. Exemplary sugar alcohols that may be used in the present application as PCMs include, but are not limited to, xylitol, pentaerythrite, trimethylolethane, erythrite, mannitol, neopentyl glycol and mixtures thereof. [0091] Further examples of phase change materials that can may be used in the present application are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.6,574,971 to Suppes; and 8,308,861 to Rolland et al.; 7,645,803 to Tamarkin et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2019/0092992 to Rajagopalan et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. [0092] The optional organic phase-change material can be present, if desired, in an amount of about 10 to about 90 weight percent (based on the total weight of the composition). For example, the organic phase-change material can be present in the composition in an amount of about 15 to about 80 weight percent, about 20 to about 80 mol percent, about 25 to about 80 mol percent, about 30 to about 70 weight percent, about 35 to about 65 mol percent, about 40 to about 60 weight percent, or about 45 to about 55 mol percent. Alternatively, the organic phase- change material can be present in the composition in an amount of about 15 to about 85 weight percent, about 15 to about 70 weight percent, about 15 to about 65 mol percent, about 15 to about 60 weight percent, about 15 to about 55 mol percent, about 15 to about 50 weight percent, about 15 to about 45 mol percent, about 15 to about 40 weight percent, or about 15 to about 35 mol percent. [0093] In certain embodiments, the composition further comprises a polymer solution or film in which the compounds of Formula (I), (Ia) are dispersed. [0094] In one embodiment, the polymer solution or film is a polyolefin, a polyacrylate, a polystyrene, a polymethyl methacrylate, a polyester, a polyamide, a polyurethane, a polypropylene, a polyethylene (including polytetrafluoroethylenes and polychlorotrifluoroethylenes), or a combination of two or more such polymers, i.e., a (co)polymer film. Such films can be used as functional coatings or functional fabrics. Polymer based molecular solar thermal system (MOST) can be realized by compounding into existing polymer matrices of the types described above. Further substituents, like carbazole or benzophenones may be attached to the polymer to facilitate the photoisomerization process. [0095] The compounds and compositions as described herein can be used to form various composite structures and thermal storage devices. The composite structures may form subcomponents of thermal storage devices. [0096] In one aspect, the invention relates to a composite structure that includes a porous structural component and either a compound or a composition as described herein. [0097] Exemplary porous structural components include, without limitation, an aerogel, a xerogel, a nanotube, metal organic framework, covalent organic framework, zeolite, graphene, graphene oxide, graphite, transition metal dichalcogenide, or hexagonal boron nitride. [0098] In one aspect, the composite structure includes an enclosure that comprises an optically transparent wall and defines a compartment comprising a compound or a composition as disclosed herein. [0099] In another embodiment, the optically transparent wall comprises a glass or polymeric material. [0100] In another embodiment, the thermal storage system can comprise a light source that emits a wavelength of light suitable to induce an isomeric phase-change of the compound or composition of the composite structure, a switch that controls operation of the light source, and either a power source or a connector adapted for connecting the thermal storage system to a power source. [0101] Thermal storage devices/systems that include a compound or composition as described herein can take any of a variety of configurations. [0102] According to certain embodiments, the switch is a thermo-sensitive switch or a manually operable switch. [0103] In accordance with another embodiment, a thermal conducting element forms a portion of the enclosure or the porous structural component. [0104] In one embodiment, the power source is a battery. [0105] In accordance with another embodiment, the thermal storage system can include a reservoir for storing the liquid form of the compound (predominantly comprising the Z-isomer) and a pump. [0106] In accordance with yet another embodiment, a thermal-storage device may include a compound or composition as described herein, where the compound or composition is retained on a substrate. The substrate may optionally include a thermal conducting element to facilitate heat transfer from the compound or composition to another article or the ambient environment during exothermic phase change, as discussed herein. [0107] The thermal-storage device may optionally include a light source, as well as accompanying circuitry controls, to allow the light source to illuminate the disclosed compound or compositions, and thereby induce an isomeric phase-change for the compounds. [0108] In accordance with one embodiment, a thermal-storage device may include a plurality of composition structures and a plurality of light sources. [0109] In one embodiment, the light source(s) are LED light source(s). [0110] One example of a thermal storage device is a device that is configured to facilitate heat transfer to engine oil or to stored water in accordance with the embodiments described and/or illustrated in PCT Application Publ. No. WO 2020/227227, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0111] Another example of a thermal-storage device is a solar energy collector, which may optionally include a wavelength converter or an energy converter. Non-limiting examples of energy storage devices, including solar energy storage devices, are described in International Application Publication Nos. WO 2019/106029 A1 and WO 2016/097199 A1; U.S. Application Publication No.20180355234 A1; Moth-Poulsen et al., “Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) Energy Storage and Release System,” Energy Environ. Sci.5:8534-8537 (2012); and Kashyap et al., “Full Spectrum Solar Thermal Energy Harvesting and Storage by a Molecular and Phase-Change Hybrid Material,” Joule 3(12):3100-3111 (2019), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0112] In these systems, it may be desirable to move the composition within the system from locations where the E-isoform can be exposed to solar energy and converted to the Z- isoform, and then moved to a separate location where the Z isoform can be stored and, later, converted to the E-isoform when harvesting the stored energy. Movement of the compounds or compositions can be carried out using pumping equipment. As long as there are some Z isomers in liquid form which can solvate the E isomer microcrystals, the whole sludge can be pumped. For example, the primarily crystalline form will be about 70-90% E-isoform and 10-30% Z isoform, whereas the primarily liquid form will be about 70-90% Z-isoform and 10-30% E- isoform. [0113] Based on the foregoing, the compounds and compositions as described herein can be used in a method of storing energy. This method can be implemented using an energy storage device as described herein. The method include the following steps: i) providing an energy storage device comprising one or more compounds according to Formula (I), or a composition comprising one or more compounds of Formula (I) whereby the one or compounds of Formula (I) is present as an E-isomer; ii) activating the compounds of Formula (I) to produce a Z-isomer of the one or more compounds according to Formula (I); and iii) storing the Z-isomer of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) for a period of time. [0114] By including one or more compounds of Formula (I), there is a possibility to use a wider range of wavelengths when irradiating the system. Activating can involve heat and/or photon absorption, such as by using sunlight or fluorescent light. Depending on the compound(s) included in the system, the optimal wavelength of the irradiation can be determined and then utilized. Regardless of the manner of activation, the step involves solid-to-liquid phase change of the compound or composition of the invention. [0115] In step iii), the period of storage may be cyclical, such as on a daily cycle where the storage period may be several hours (e.g., up to 12 or 18 hours), but it may be desirable to extend the period of storage such that it is acyclical (e.g., for as long as a user desires). As indicated in the examples, several of the compounds can store energy for long periods of time over several days, several weeks, and over several months. According to the present application, storing can be carried out for a period of time exceeding 12 hours. For example, storing is carried out for a period of time exceeding 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours. Alternatively, storing can be carried out for a period of time from about 1 day up to about 21 days, about 2 days up to about 18 days, about 2 days up to about 14 days, about 3 days up to about 14 days, about 3 days up to about 10 days, or about 3 days up to about 7 days. [0116] Having stored the energy for later use, the method also includes the step of: iv) inducing the Z-isomer of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) to isomerize back to E-isomer state, thereby releasing energy stored during said activating. [0117] The energy released when one or more compounds of Formula (I) isomerize back to E-isomer state (step iv) is collected and/or transferred, if desired. The inducing step of step iv) can be an optically triggered crystallization. [0118] In certain embodiments, the optically triggered crystallization can occur below room temperature. For example, the optically triggered crystallization can occur below 21ºC, below 20ºC, below 19ºC, below 18ºC, below 17ºC, below 16ºC, below 15ºC, below 14ºC, below 13ºC, below 12ºC, below 11ºC, below 10ºC, below 9ºC, below 8ºC, below 7ºC, below 6ºC, below 5ºC, below 4ºC, below 3ºC, below 2ºC, below 1ºC, below 0ºC, below -1ºC, below -2ºC, below -3ºC, below -4ºC, or below -5ºC. [0119] In certain embodiments, the optically triggered crystallization can be induced by exposing the Z-isomer to light in the UV- or visible spectrum. [0120] In certain embodiments, the induced energy release by the compounds of Formula (I) is at least 50 kJ/mol or 55 kJ/mol, preferably at least 60 kJ/mol, 65 kJ/mol, 70 kJ/mol, 75 kJ/mol, 80 kJ/mol, 85 kJ/mol, or 90 kJ/mol. [0121] Based on the foregoing, it should be apparent that it is contemplated that the method can be carried out repeatedly, with multiple cycles of the activating, storing, and inducing steps. [0122] The compounds as defined in Formula (I) have shown the surprising combination of properties when used to carry out this method. For example, it is possible to control (i) the absorption spectrum of the compound of Formula (I) in E-isomer state; and/or (ii) the energy storage half-life of the compound of Formula (I) in Z-isomer state. Based on these combinations of unique properties, the storage devices of the invention make it possible to store energy for at least 14 days, whilst simultaneously having an absorption spectrum where the wavelength of absorption onset is of at least 300 nm. [0123] More specifically, preferred methods of storing energy include using the compounds according to Formula (I), as herein defined, to control (i) the absorption spectrum of the compound of Formula (I), such that the compound of Formula (I) in E-isomer state exhibits wavelength absorption of between about 300 nm to about 650 nm; (ii) the energy storage half- life of the one or more compounds of Formula (I) in Z-isomer state has an energy storage half- life of at least 14 days, with a preferred energy storage half-life of at least 50 days, with a much preferred energy storage half-life of at least 100 days, with a very much preferred energy storage half-life of at least 500 days; and (iii) the compounds of Formula (I), (Ia) exhibiting release of at least 50 kJ/mol or 55 kJ/mol, preferably at least 60 kJ/mol, 65 kJ/mol, 70 kJ/mol, 75 kJ/mol, 80 kJ/mol, 85 kJ/mol, or 90 kJ/mol. Specific embodiments have achieved storage of 0.15 MJ/kg of thermal energy for weeks over a wide range of temperatures (−40 ℃ to +110 ℃) in liquid phase. [0124] Due to the activity of the compounds of formula (I), they have a ground state (OFF state) that is a crystalline solid. Due to exposure to light of appropriate wavelength or high temperature, the compounds of formula (I) are rendered molten, and irradiation (using light of appropriate wavelength) changes the switch to a metastable state (ON state) and “locks” the liquid phase. The step of irradiation can be carried out for a period of time sufficient to lock the liquid phase in the metastable state; typically this is from several minutes to several hours depending on the compound, the light source, and the intensity of the light. The stabilized liquid phase can then be stored for a desired period of time and allowed to cool to ambient temperature, and it can optionally be moved (e.g., via pump) from one location (where it was activated to the ON state) to another location, such as a reservoir or a location where release and heat recovery occurs. For the release, irradiation induces crystallization by changing the switch back to its ground state (i.e., turning off the switch). [0125] In addition to the foregoing utilities described above, organic photoswitches that undergo reversible changes upon light irradiation have been integrated into various materials for applications, including light-driven actuation, drug delivery, sensing, and optical memory (Han et al., “Optically-controlled Long-term Storage and Release of Thermal Energy in Phase-change Materials,” Nature Communications 8:1446 (2017), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). These additional utilities are also contemplated for the compounds and compositions described herein. EXAMPLES [0126] The examples below are intended to exemplify the practice of embodiments of the disclosure but are by no means intended to limit the scope thereof. Materials and Methods for Examples 1-3 [0127] Instrumentation: Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used to monitor reactions with Merck silica gel 60 F254 plates (0.25mm). Flash silica gel column chromatography was performed using CombiFlash RF automated flash chromatography system with Merck Silica Gel 60 (230-400 mesh). 1 H, 13 C, and 19 F NMR spectra were recorded on a Bruker Avance 400 Spectrometer at 400 MHz, 100 MHz, and 376 MHz, respectively. Tetramethylsilane (TMS) was used as an internal standard for 1 H and 13 C spectra, and trifluoroacetic acid was used as an external standard for 19 F spectra. Data recorded for NMR spectra are reported as: chemical shift (δ,), multiplicity (s, singlet; d, doublet; t, triplet; q, quartet; p, pentet; m, multiplet), integration, and coupling constant (J, Hz). High-resolution mass spectra (ESI) were recorded with a Waters Synapt G2-Si ESI mass spectrometer. High magnification images were taken with Olympus Q-Color 3 imaging system installed on the Olympus SZ-40 Stereo Microscope with Olympus SZ-PO Polarizing Lens and Schott ACE Light Source with EKE Lamp. [0128] Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC): DSC experiments were recorded on a DSC 250 (TA Instruments) with an RSC 90 Refrigerated Cooling System. The cooling and heating rates during DSC experiments were set to 10 °C/min unless specified in figure caption. In order to measure thermal reverse isomerization, all Z isomers were heated to 190 °C. [0129] UV-Vis Absorbance Spectroscopy: All UV-Vis absorption spectra were obtained using a Varian Cary 50 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer in a UV Quartz cuvette with a path length of 10 mm. All the E isomers were dissolved in chloroform at 0.0125 mg/ml concentration. The UV-Vis spectra of the E isomers were first recorded, then the compounds were irradiated with light sources until they reached a photostationary state (PSS). LED light sources include Thorlab M395L4 (395 nm, 6.7 µW/mm 2 ), M430L4 (430 nm, 35.3 µW/mm²), M530L3 (530 nm, 9.5 µW/mm 2 ), M590L4 (590 nm, 6.0 µW/mm 2 ), and M625L4 (625 nm, 21.9 µW/mm 2 ). The fluorescence light source was a GE 13W FLE13HT3/2/SW light bulb. [0130] Solution-State Z-Isomer Preparation: Each E isomer was dissolved in dichloromethane and irradiated with a suitable light source until PSS was reached. The solution was then concentrated and dried under high-vacuum. [0131] Preparation of Z-Rich and E-Rich Thin Films: 5 mg of E-rich or Z-rich sample was placed on a 1” by 1” glass slide. Solid samples were heated above Tm, covered by another glass slide, then cooled to RT. Liquid samples were directly covered by another glass slide at RT. The molten solid or liquid was spread by the cover glass to fill the entire area between the glass slides. For greenhouse experiments, smaller films were made with 2 mg sample on 1.6 cm by 1.6 cm substrates to accommodate the band-pass filter coverage. A VWR Advanced hot plate stirrer was used for the stirred-irradiation process and auxiliary heating as necessary. [0132] Selective Crystallization and Isomerization of Thin Films: To show the selective crystallization, a thin film of 1-Z was prepared according to the aforementioned method. An optical mask was placed on the film which was then irradiated with a 430 nm LED for 90 sec at RT. After the irradiation, the mask was removed, and the film was observed under an optical microscope. To show the selective isomerization of 3-E, a thin film of molten 3-E was prepared. The film was supercooled to RT, covered with a mask, and irradiated with a fluorescence light bulb for 90 min. After the irradiation, the mask was removed, and the film was observed under an optical microscope. [0133] Measurement of %Z in Solution and Films: To determine the percentage of Z isomer (% Z) in solution, 5 mg of compound dissolved in 0.5 mL of CDCl3 was irradiated with a light source until PSS was reached. % Z was determined by . For condensed phase samples, compounds were made into films, heated above Tm, and irradiated with a light source until PSS was reached. The film was then dissolved in CDCl3 for 1 H NMR analysis. [0134] Direct Solar Irradiation: The greenhouse was constructed with a metal frame and glass walls and a black piece of paper was placed on the bottom of the greenhouse. The E-rich film was placed on the paper with a different filter covering the entire substrate. Three types of filters were used: Thorlab bandpass filter of 360 nm, 530 nm (BPF 1), 590 nm (BPF 2), 620 nm (BPF 3) (Thorlab model: FB360-10, FB530-10, FB590-10, FB620-10); Round-shaped color filter from Ultrafire A100 (green) (BPF 4); and Flexible color filter from Neewer (green, orange, red) (BPF 5, 6, 7). [0135] The films were irradiated under each filter for 5 hours. After irradiation the material was dissolved in CDCl3 and % Z was measured by 1 H NMR. The bulk powder isomerization was conducted with 160 mg of crystalline 1 and a stir bar added to a UV Quartz cuvette with a pathlength of 10 mm. The cuvette was placed on the black paper and a stir plate was placed under the greenhouse. The cuvette was wrapped with one layer of the flexible green filter. After 10 min, 1 was fully melted and continuously irradiated with sunlight in the greenhouse for 5 hours being stirred at 300 rpm. 5 mg aliquot of 1 was taken out for 1 H NMR analysis. [0136] Time-Dependent Isomerization: For Z-to-E isomerization, four identical Z-rich thin films of 1 were prepared. Each film was irradiated with 430 nm light at RT for 20, 40, 80, and 160 s, respectively. The percentage of Z-isomers were measured using 1 H NMR. For E-to-Z isomerization, seven identical E rich thin films of 1 were prepared. Each film was irradiated with 530 nm light at 50 °C for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 20 min, respectively. The percentage of Z- isomers were measured using 1 H NMR. To determine the heat storage time, the identical procedure was carried out to prepared liquid Z samples that were monitored in dark until crystallization occurred. [0137] Measurement of Emission Spectrum, Irradiation Power, and Substrate Transmission: The emission spectrum of the fluorescence light bulb was measured with a Shimadzu RF-5301 Fluorimeter, following the procedure from Shimadzu “Measurement of Emission Spectra of LED Light Bulbs,” Application News No. A497, Shimadzu Corporation (2015), accessed at www.shimadzu.com (December 2020), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The irradiation power of various light sources was measured using a Thorlab PM160T Thermal Sensor Power Meter at the wavelength of maximum output intensity. The transmission spectra of substrates were measured with a Varian Cary 50 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. [0138] Rheology Measurements of Compound 1: The strain sweep measurement was conducted using a TA Instruments ARES-G2 rheometer with Parallel Plate System. The strain sweep was measured at angular frequency of 6.28 rad/s at RT for 290 s, except for 1-E which was measured at 45 °C. The gap between plates was 0.4 mm for all measurements. [0139] IR Images: All IR images were recorded at 1 frame/sec with Avio InfRec R450P IR camera equipped with a standard lens, capable of measuring from −40 to 120 ⁰C. At RT, a stir bar and 160 mg of 1 were placed in a UV Quartz cuvette with a pathlength of 10 mm. The cap of the cuvette was removed, and the IR camera was set on top of the cuvette to record the top-down view of samples in the cuvette through the top opening. 430 nm LED was placed 20 cm away from the side of the cuvette, irradiating directly on the substrate. Example 1 – Synthesis and Characterization of Azobenzene Intermediates 1’-4’ and Compounds 1-5 [0140] Azobenzene intermediates 1’-4’ and compounds 1-5 were synthesized using the scheme shown and described below. The intermediates and compounds were characterized by spectroscopic analyses.
Synthesis of (E)-4-((2,6-Difluorophenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-difluorophenol (Compound 1’) [0141] To the mixture of 2,6-difluoro aniline (0.387 g, 3 mmol, 1 eq) and 7.5 mL of D.I. water, 1.05 mL of the concentrated hydrochloric acid was added. The mixture was stirred and cooled to 0 °C with an ice bath. A solution of sodium nitrite (0.249 g, 3.3 mmol, 1.1 eq) and water (4.5 mL) was added dropwise between 0 °C – 4 °C. The orange suspension was then added to a solution of 3.5-difluoro phenol (0.429 g, 3.3 mmol, 1.1 eq), sodium hydroxide (0.4 g, 10 mmol, 3.3 eq), and water (6 mL) dropwise at 0 °C. The suspension was allowed to stir at 0 °C for 2 hours. To the reaction mixture, 0.5 M hydrochloric acid was added until pH 2 was reached. The mixture was extracted with dichloromethane (30 mL, three times), and the organic layer was collected, washed with brine, dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 , and concentrated on a rotary evaporator. The residue was purified with flash silica gel chromatography (30% ethyl acetate in hexanes). The product was isolated as an orange solid (370 mg, 46%). 1 H NMR spectra matched reported value (Li et al., “Smart Azobenzene-Containing Tubular Polymersomes: Fabrication and Multiple Morphological Tuning,” Chem. Commun.56:6237- 6240 (2020), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). Synthesis of (E)-4-((2,6-Difluorophenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-difluorophenyl Tridecanoate (Compound 1) [0142] Compound 1’ (270 mg, 1 mmol, 1 eq), tridecanoic acid (214 mg, 1 mmol, 1 eq), N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (206 mg, 1 mmol, 1 eq), and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (15 mg, 0.15 mmol, 0.15 eq) were dissolved in dichloromethane (47 mL). The solution was allowed to stir at RT for 18 hours. Then, hexane (47 mL) was added, and the reaction mixture was cooled in the freezer over night at -20 °C. The white precipitate was filtered off using vacuum filtration and washed serval times with cold hexane. The filtrate was then concentrated and dried under high vacuum. The residue was purified with flash silica gel chromatography (5% ethyl acetate in hexanes). The final product was obtained as an orange solid (373 mg, 80%). [0143] The structure of the Compound 1 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 7.36 (m, 1H, ArH), 7.06 (t, J = 8.58 Hz, 2H, ArH), 6.91 (d, J = 9.56 Hz, 2H, ArH), 2.58 (t, J = 7.55 Hz, 2H, CH2COO), 1.65 (p, J = 7.50 Hz, 2H, CH2CH2COO), 1.46-1.18 (m, 18H, CH2CH2), 0.88 (t, J = 7.09 Hz, 3H, CH2CH3). 13 C NMR: (100 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 170.93, 155.90 (dd, J = 262.80, 6.30 Hz), 155.55 (dd, J = 260.84, 4.08 Hz), 152.47 (t, J = 13.76 Hz), 131.76 (t, J = 10.00 Hz), 131.36 (t, J = 10.37 Hz), 129.41 (t, J = 10.00 Hz), 112.57 (dd, J = 19.58, 4.80 Hz), 112.56 (dd, J = 20.99, 3.0 Hz), 106.83 (dd, J = 23.82, 3.90 Hz), 34.25, 31.88, 29.61, 26.60, 29.55, 29.39, 29.32, 29.18, 28.99, 24.66, 22.65, 14.07. 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ -118.56 (d, J = 9.59 Hz, 2F, ArF), -121.22 (dd, J = 10.13, 6.04 Hz, 2F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C25H30F4N2O2 [M + H] + 467.2322, found 467.2319 Synthesis of (E)-4-((2-Chloro-6-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-difluorophenol (Compound 2’) [0144] Compound 2’ was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1’ and using 2-chloro-6-fluoroaniline and 3,5-difluorophenol as starting materials at 3 mmol/eq scale. The final product was obtained as an orange solid (302 mg, 34.9%). [0145] The structure of the Compound 2’ was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ 7.40-7.20 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.15 (t, J = 9.04 Hz, 1H, ArH), 6.57 (d, J = 11.31 Hz, 2H, ArH). 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ -117.81 (s, 2F, ArF), -125.81 (s, 1F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C12H6ClF3N2O [M + H] + 287.0199, found 287.0200. Synthesis of (E)-4-((2-Chloro-6-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-difluorophenyl Tridecanoate (Compound 2) [0146] Compound 2 was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1 and using 2’ and tridecanoic acid as starting materials at 0.36 mmol/eq scale. The final product was obtained as an orange solid (124 mg, 69%). [0147] The structure of the Compound 2 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ 7.42-7.29 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.18 (t, J = 9.89 Hz, 2H, ArH), 6.96 (d, J = 10.36 Hz, 2H, ArH), 2.59 (t, J = 7.49 Hz, 2H, CH 2 COO), 1.75 (p, J = 7.33 Hz, 2H, CH 2 CH 2 COO), 1.50-1.23 (m, 18H, CH 2 CH 2 ), 0.90 (t, J = 6.35 Hz, 3H, CH 2 CH 3 ). 13 C NMR: (100 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 170.94, 155.99 (dd, J = 261.84, 6.23 Hz), 153.00 (t, J = 14.00 Hz), 152.49 (d, J = 260.52 Hz), 139.73 (d, J = 9.53 Hz), 131.66 (d, J = 2.81 Hz), 130.60 (d, J = 9.58 Hz), 128.90 (t, J = 9.82 Hz), 126.15 (d, J = 3.78 Hz), 115.77 (d, J = 20.65 Hz), 106.94 (dd, J = 23.65, 3.77 Hz), 34.16, 31.89, 29.61, 29.60, 29.55, 29.40, 29.32, 29.18, 24.61, 22.65, 13.83. 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ -118.97 (d, J = 10.29 Hz, 2F, ArF), -125.04 (dd, J = 10.69, 5.31 Hz, 1F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C 25 H 30 ClF 3 N 2 O 2 [M + H] + 483.2026, found 483.2025. Synthesis of (E)-4-((2,6-Dimethoxyphenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-dimethoxyphenol (Compound 3’) [0148] The compound was synthesized using a reported procedure at the twice scale (Weis et al., “Visible-Light-Responsive Azopolymers with Inhibited π–π Stacking Enable Fully Reversible Photopatterning,” Macromolecules 49:6368-6373 (2016), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). The final product was obtained as an orange solid (0.573 g, 46%). The 1 H NMR spectra matched the one reported in the literature (Weis et al., “Visible-Light-Responsive Azopolymers with Inhibited π–π Stacking Enable Fully Reversible Photopatterning,” Macromolecules 49:6368-6373 (2016), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). Synthesis of (E)-4-((2,6-Dimethoxyphenyl)diazenyl)-3,5-dimethoxyphenyl Tridecanoate (Compound 3) [0149] Compound 3 was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1 and using 3’ and tridecanoic acid as starting materials at 1.80 mmol/eq scale. The reaction was stirred for 48 hours. The final product was obtained as an orange solid (747 mg, 78%). [0150] The structure of the Compound 3 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 7.19 (t, J = 8.40 Hz, 1H, ArH), 6.64 (d, J = 8.47 Hz, 2H, ArH), 6.42 (s, 2H, ArH), 3.82 (s, 6H, OCH3), 3.81 (s, 6H, OCH3), 2.54 (t, J = 7.59 Hz, CH2COO), 1.74 (p, J = 7.53 Hz, 2H, CH2CH2COO), 1.46-1.18 (m, 18H, CH2CH2), 0.86 (t, J = 6.59 Hz, 3H, CH 2 CH 3 ). 13 C NMR: (100 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ 171.86, 152.96, 152.27, 151.71, 134.55, 131.99, 129.19, 105.17, 99.04, 56.61, 56.54, 34.43, 31.88, 29.63, 29.60, 29.58, 29.44, 29.32, 29.24, 29.12, 24.81, 22.65, 14.08. HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C29H42N2O6 [M + H] + 515.3121, found 515.3120. Synthesis of (E)-3-Chloro-4-((2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-5-fluorop henol (Compound 4’) [0151] Compound 4’ was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1’ and using 2-chloro-6-fluoroaniline and 3-chloro-5-fluorophenol as starting materials at 3 mmol/eq scale. The final product was obtained as an orange solid (333 mg, 37%). [0152] The structure of the Compound 4’ was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ 7.43-7.25 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.16 (t, J = 9.89 Hz, 1H, ArH), 6.92 (s, 1H, ArH), 6.66 (d, J = 12.53 Hz, 2H, ArH). 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ -119.835 (d, J = 11.32 Hz, 1F, ArF), -125.24 (s, 1F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C12H6Cl2F2N2O [M + H] + 302.9903, found 302.9906. Synthesis of (E)-3-chloro-4-((2-chloro-6-fluorophenyl)diazenyl)-5-fluorop henyl Tridecanoate (Compound 4) [0153] Compound 4 was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1 and using 4’ and tridecanoic acid as starting materials at 0.5 mmol/eq scale. The final product was obtained as an orange solid (219 mg, 88%). [0154] The structure of the Compound 4 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ 7.42-7.32 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.24-7.15 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.03 (dd, J = 11.38, 2.36 Hz, 1H, ArH), 2.59 (t, J = 7.52 Hz, 2H, CH 2 COO), 1.74 (p, J = 7.49 Hz, 2H, CH 2 CH 2 COO), 1.46-1.21 (m, 18H, CH 2 CH 2 ), 0.88 (t, J = 6.35 Hz, 3H, CH 2 CH 3 ). 13 C NMR: (100 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ 171.06, 152.65 (d, J = 263.53 Hz), 152.48 (d, J = 260.89 Hz), 151.81 (d, J = 12.50 Hz), 139.38 (d, J = 9.50 Hz), 136.82 (d, J = 9.17 Hz), 133.11 (d, J = 4.70 Hz), 131.84 (d, J = 2.67 Hz), 130.50 (d, J = 9.54 Hz), 126.19 (d, J = 3.83 Hz), 119.76 (d, J = 3.85 Hz), 115.79 (d, J = 20.69 Hz), 110.14 (d, J = 23.76 Hz), 34.13, 31.90, 29.62, 29.61, 29.56, 29.41, 29.33, 29.19, 28.97, 24.64, 22.66, 13.85. 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ - 121.515 (d, J = 11.53 Hz, 1F, ArF), -124.503 (dd, J = 10.56, 4.85 Hz, 1F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C25H30Cl2F2N2O2 [M + H] + 499.1731, found 499.1725. [0155] Compound 5 was prepared using the same procedure as described above for the synthesis of compound 1 and using compound 4’ and 2-ethylhexanoic acid as starting materials at 0.25 mmol/eq scale. The final product was obtained as a dark red oil (100 mg, 93%). [0156] The structure of the Compound 5 was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. 1 H NMR: (400 MHz, Dichloromethane-d 2 ) δ 7.44-7.31 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.25-7.15 (m, 2H, ArH), 7.02 (dd, J = 11.441, 2.00 Hz, 1H, ArH), 2.55 (m, 1H, CHCOO), 1.85-1.57 (m, 4H, CH2CHCH2), 1.45-1.31 (m, 4H, CH 2 CH 3 ), 1.02 (t, J = 7.50 Hz, 3H, CH 2 CH 3 ), 0.94 (t, J = 6.82 Hz, 3H, CH 2 CH 3 ). 13 C NMR: (100 MHz, Dichloromethane-d 2 ) δ 173.64, 152.66 (d, J = 263.24 Hz), 152.48 (d, J = 261.08 Hz), 151.89 (d, J = 12.46 Hz), 139.37 (d, J = 9.71 Hz), 136.83 (d, J = 9.41 Hz), 133.11 (d, J = 4.70 Hz), 131.82 (d, J = 2.78 Hz), 130.86 (d, J = 9.51 Hz), 126.19 (d, J = 3.75 Hz), 119.82 (d, J = 3.84 Hz), 115.79 (d, J = 20.55 Hz), 110.20 (d, J = 23.62 Hz), 47.23, 31.46, 29.51, 25.26, 22.56, 13.65, 11.53. 19 F NMR: (376 MHz, Dichloromethane-d2) δ -121.490 (d, J = 11.50 Hz, 1F, ArF), -124.450 (m 1F, ArF). HRMS (ESI): m/z calculated for C 20 H 20 Cl 2 F 2 N 2 O 2 [M + H] + 429.0948, found 429.0942. Example 2 – Solar Irradiance Calculation [0157] To estimate the solar radiant flux on the sample (1” by 1” film) in the green house the following equation was used: ^e = Ee × A × %TBPF × %Tgreenhouse × %TglassSlide (Eq.1) where ^e is the radiant flux, Ee is the integrated irradiance of a certain range of wavelengths, A is the area of sample, and %T is the % transmission of bandpass filter, greenhouse ceiling, or the cover glass slide at the wavelengths. ^ 360 = 0.66 mW ^430 = 2.10 mW ^ 530 = 3.65 mW (BPF 1) ^ 590 = 3.90 mW (BPF 2) ^625 = 3.80 mW (BPF 3) ^530 = 6.23 mW (BPF 4) To estimate the radiant flux on the sample (1” by 1” film) irradiated with an LED the following equation was used: ^LED = ELED × %TglassSlide (Eq.2) where ^LED is the radiant flux, ELED is the irradiance of the LED, and %TglassSlide is the % transmission of the cover glass slide used for the thin film sample. E430LED ^= 54.45 mW; ^430LED = 50.09 mW E 530LED ^= 13.12 mW; ^ 530LED = 12.07 mW E590LED ^= 7.74 mW; ^590LED = 7.12 mW E625LED ^= 25.60 mW; ^625LED = 25.55 mW For the fluorescence light bulb: E 610nm ^= 10.26 mW; ^ 610nm = 9.44 mW Example 3 – Calculation of Energy Conversion Efficiency (ECE) [0158] ECE can be defined using the following equation: (Eq.3) ^ where Einput is the total energy input and Eoutput is the total energy output of the storage system. Considering only thermal energy input (Einput = ^Hm) and output (Eoutput = ^Hiso + ^Hc), ^ ^= ^ ^Hiso × %Iso + ^Hc (E) × %E ^ ^H (E (Eq. 4) m ) ^ where ^H c and ^H m are the crystallization and melting enthalpy of E isomers, respectively. %Iso is the percentage change of Z-isomer during the Z-to-E isomerization. %E is the percentage of final E-isomer concentration upon the Z-to-E isomerization and crystallization. [0159] Compound 1 shows %Iso = 76% and %E = 91% upon triggered crystallization, thus efficiency ( ^) was calculated as: ^ ^= 130.8%. Considering the additional photon energy required for triggering Z-to-E photoisomerization, where EZ–E is the photon energy used for Z-to-E isomerization and the quantum yield of the process. Using photon energy at 430 nm and ^ Z–E of 0.49 (Knie et al., “ortho- Fluoroazobenzenes: Visible Light Switches with Very Long-Lived Z Isomers,” Chem. Eur. J. 20:16492-16501 (2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety), the efficiency ( ^) was calculated as: ^ = 13.3%. [0160] Considering the photon energy required for E-to-Z photoisomerization, where EE–Z is the photon energy of used for E-to-Z isomerization and ^E–Z is the quantum yield of the process. Using photon energy at 530 nm and ^E–Z of 0.3 (Knie et al., “ortho- Fluoroazobenzenes: Visible Light Switches with Very Long-Lived Z Isomers,” Chem. Eur. J. 20:16492-16501 (2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety), the efficiency ( ^) was calculated as: ^ = 6.05%. [0161] Considering a facile E-to-Z isomerization reaching a PSS and incomplete Z-to-E reverse isomerization during crystallization, when %Iso = 68% & %E = 83%: ^ = 6.09% when %Iso = 46% & %E = 61%: ^ = 6.28% when %Iso = 37% & %E = 52%: ^ = 6.42%. [0162] Considering an incomplete E-to-Z isomerization and a facile Z-to-E reverse isomerization reaching a PSS, when %Iso = 66% & %E = 91%: ^ = 6.60% when %Iso = 56% & %E = 91%: ^ = 7.33% when %Iso = 46% & %E = 91%: ^ = 8.35%. Discussion of Examples 1– 3 [0163] The photo-controlled phase change materials (PCMs) reported so far have a common molecular structure, i.e. a photo-switch head group linked to an aliphatic tail. This structure creates the balance between the π–π interaction among the head groups and the London dispersion forces among the tail groups. Such a molecular design allows for the phase transition of molecules, mainly controlled by the conformational change of photo-switches between planar and non-planar geometries and the altered degree of head group interactions. In the recent works that demonstrated the concept of photo-controlled heat storage in organic PCMs, the crystalline PCMs were irradiated with strong UV light using an arc lamp or an LED to undergo photo- switching and simultaneous melting (Zhang et al., “Photochemical Phase Transitions Enable Coharvesting of Photon Energy and Ambient Heat for Energetic Molecular Solar Thermal Batteries That Upgrade Thermal Energy,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.142:12256-12264 (2020); Gerkman et al., “Arylazopyrazoles for Long-Term Thermal Energy Storage and Optically Triggered Heat Release below 0 °C,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.142:8688-8695 (2020); Han et al., “Optically-Regulated Thermal Energy Storage in Diverse Organic Phase-Change Materials,” Chem. Commun. 54:10722-10725 (2018); Han et al., “Optically-Controlled Long-Term Storage and Release of Thermal Energy in Phase-Change Materials,” Nat. Commun.8:1446 (2017), which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety). Occasionally, the photo-thermal effect of strong UV irradiation promoted the direct photo-melting, while other times external thermal energy input was required to pre-melt the crystalline PCMs to allow for the facile conformational change of the photo-switches. The resulting liquid PCMs have shown a remarkable stability over a large window of temperatures such as −30 ℃ to 60 ℃ (Gerkman et al., “Arylazopyrazoles for Long- Term Thermal Energy Storage and Optically Triggered Heat Release below 0 °C,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.142:8688-8695 (2020), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety), enabling the long-term storage of latent heat (i.e. a few weeks) in the photo-activated liquid and the triggered release of the stored heat by optical stimulation within a visible-light range. [0164] A new material system that directly harnesses solar heat and photon without any external light source or heat source is shown in Figure 1A. The organic PCMs containing planar photo-switches in the ground state (OFF state) initially formed crystalline solid that absorbed solar thermal energy and isomerized by solar photons to result in a liquid phase. The liquid PCMs consisting of non-planar photo-switches in the metastable state (ON state) can be preserved over a substantial range of temperatures, −40 ℃ to 110 ℃, until the optical triggering immediately crystallized the PCMs to release the latent heat. Figure 1B shows the structural change of a photo-switchable PCM molecule incorporating a novel head group, o- fluoroazobenzene, and a fatty ester tail. The red-shifted n–π* absorption band of such a planar isomer (1-E) that extends beyond 500 nm (Figure 1C) enables the photo-activation of E switches by visible light (i.e.530 nm in the case of compound 1), accompanying a substantial E-to-Z conversion of 91% at the photostationary state. The Z-to-E reversion was triggered by 430 nm which activated the n–π* transition of 1-Z isomer and rapidly restored 80% 1-E. Z isomer of o- fluoroazobenzene presents a significant half-life (ca.700 days for pristine) (Bléger et al., “o- Fluoroazobenzenes as Readily Synthesized Photoswitches Offering Nearly Quantitative Two- Way Isomerization with Visible Light,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.134:20597-20600 (2012), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) due to thermal stability of the metastable state. [0165] Figure 1D illustrates the wavelengths of light that induces E-to-Z isomerization of each azobenzene derivative shown. The pristine azobenzene functionalized with a tridecanoate chain is primarily activated by 365 nm irradiation, as previously reported by Grossman and coworkers in their first demonstration of photo-controlled latent heat storage in organic PCMs (Han et al., “Optically-Controlled Long-Term Storage and Release of Thermal Energy in Phase- Change Materials,” Nat. Commun.8:1446 (2017), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). Arylazopyrazole derivatives reported by Gerkman et al., “Arylazopyrazoles for Long-Term Thermal Energy Storage and Optically Triggered Heat Release below 0 °C,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.142:8688-8695 (2020), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, showed the most facile E-to-Z switching by 340 nm activation. Another class of arylazopyrazoles functionalized with alkyl ether groups responded to 365 nm as reported by Zhang et al., “Photochemical Phase Transitions Enable Coharvesting of Photon Energy and Ambient Heat for Energetic Molecular Solar Thermal Batteries That Upgrade Thermal Energy,” J. Am. Chem. Soc.142:12256-12264 (2020), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. As all of the reported photo-switchable PCMs require a high-intensity UV light source for initial activation, which is not achieved by direct solar irradiation, a new series of molecules that undergo E-to-Z isomerization by visible light irradiation were developed. [0166] Five compounds were designed and synthesized. These compounds demonstrated the viability of sunlight-driven molecular isomerization and concomitant crystal-to-liquid phase transition (compounds 1, 2, and 4), which led to the storage of both isomerization energy and latent heat. This class of compounds displayed a unique phase in each isomeric state (E or Z), exhibiting a phase transition upon photo-induced structural isomerization. A different class of switches (compounds 3 and 5) that undergo a same-phase photo-switching under sunlight and store the isomerization energy was also identified. The respective UV-Vis absorption spectra of all compounds in E and Z isomeric forms are shown in Figure 2. [0167] The distinct phases of E and Z isomer of compounds 1, 2, and 4 are exemplified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in Figure 3A. The E isomer of the compounds exhibited clear melting and crystallization peaks that correspond to large latent heat absorption and release processes. The Z isomer of compound 2, on the other hand, showed a stable liquid phase between −40 ℃ and 110 ℃, a large window of temperatures defined by the partial crystallization point at the low end and by the onset of thermal reverse isomerization (Z-to-E) at the high end. All DSC traces of compounds 1–5 as E and Z forms were recorded to monitor their phase transitions and thermal isomerization as shown in Figure 4. All thermal parameters including the melting temperature, melting enthalpy (i.e. heat of fusion), crystallization temperature, crystallization enthalpy, glass transition temperature, isomerization onset temperature, and isomerization enthalpy were summarized for all compounds and are shown in Tables 1 and 2. In contrast to compounds 1, 2, and 4, the other two compounds 3 and 5 exhibited a same-phase E-Z isomerization due to the similar phase characteristics of E and Z isomers. The DSC traces of compound 3 as both E and Z forms showed the extensive supercooling of the molten phase to −80 ℃. Therefore, the photo-induced E-Z isomerization occurs in a supercooled liquid phase at room temperature. The Z liquid phase is more stable than E liquid at room temperature: the cold-crystallization temperature of Z isomer is 41 ℃, while that of E isomer is 16 ℃. Compound 5 was intrinsically liquid at room temperature as synthesized, and both E and Z isomers remained liquid even at −80 ℃. The E isomer showed minor cold-crystallization at −1 ℃ but immediately recovered the liquid phase at 9 ℃. Thus, compounds 5 undergoes an unhindered E-Z photo-switching in the liquid phase at room temperature. Table 1: Phase Transition Parameters of E and Z-Isomers Measured by DSC Peak temperature of each thermal transition is reported. Cold-crystallization peak (cc), second melting peak (’), melting enthalpy (ΔHm), and crystallization enthalpy (ΔHc). Table 2: Thermal Parameters of Z-Isomers Obtained From the Complete Thermal Reversion Processes T iso is the onset temperature of Z-to-E thermal reverse isomerization and ΔH iso is the isomerization enthalpy. ΔH total is the total thermal energy released by the photo-triggered crystallization, calculated as the sum of ΔH iso and the crystallization enthalpy (ΔH c ) of E-isomer. [0168] The spontaneous energy storage in the new compounds was demonstrated when they were placed in a greenhouse (Figure 3B) where the UV-Vis range of sunlight transmitted through glass windows activates the E-to-Z switching and the reflected thermal radiation in the IR range facilitates the concomitant melting of the compounds (Figures 5A-B). This was a stand-alone setup without any electrically-powdered light sources such as arc lamps or LEDs, which simultaneously harnessed solar photons and solar thermal energy. Figure 3C illustrates the energy storage process in which the initial crystalline sample (E isomer) melts and isomerizes under the filtered sunlight. A commercial band-pass filter was used to allow for the transmission of light that selectively promotes E-to-Z switching, and the elevated temperature in the greenhouse assists the latent heat storage. The experiments were conducted in daylight when ambient temperature ranges from 25 ℃ to 33 ℃ (Table 3). [0169] In order to achieve an effective E-to-Z switching via the selective activation of n– π* band of E isomer, a variety of band-pass filters (BPF, Figures 3D-F) that were placed over the samples were tested. The corresponding transmission spectra of the BPFs displayed various widths of transmitted wavelengths (Figure 3G-H): BPFs 1-4 had narrower widths compared to BPFs 5-7 that were common colored transparency films. The comparative optical images of compound 1 film before and after the BPF 4-filtered solar irradiation in the greenhouse (Figures 3I-L) demonstrate the clear morphological and color changes associated with the isomerization. A control experiment of photo-switching azobenzene and arylazopyrazole compounds (Figure 1D) using a UV BPF was unsuccessful under a comparable greenhouse condition due to the lower UV irradiance in natural solar spectrum (Table 3). Table 3: Outdoor Ambient Temperature and Wind Conditions for Each Greenhouse Isomerization Experiment a: A film of crystalline 4 was placed in the greenhouse covered with a red flexible filter. The film remained crystalline after 5 hours of solar irradiation. b: A film of crystalline 2 was placed in the greenhouse covered with a 590 nm bandpass filter. The film remained crystalline after 5 hours of solar irradiation. c: A film of crystalline E azobenzene tridecanoate ester and a film of 4pzMe-ester were placed in the greenhouse covered with a 360 nm bandpass filter. Both films remained crystalline after 5 hours of solar irradiation. d: Auxiliary heating was provided by a hot plate put under the greenhouse (T set to 28 °C) during the solar irradiation to simulate the warmer environment of previous experiments. [0170] Figure 6A depicts the increasing extent of E-to-Z isomerization of compound 1 by the varied irradiation time at 530 nm. The light intensity of 530 nm LED used for the experiment (12 mW) was ~3.3 times higher than the filtered sunlight through BPF 1 (estimated to be 3.6 mW, see Figures 7-9). % Z in the film sample increased exponentially, reaching the saturation in 10 min of irradiation (Figure 10). Thus-formed liquid films containing various % Z isomers were monitored closely to measure the stability of liquid phase before crystallization, or the latent heat storage time. The short-irradiated films (1, 2, and 3 min) containing less than 70% Z isomer crystallized in 1, 3, and 8 days, respectively. Remarkably, other samples that were irradiated for 5 min or longer accumulated more than 70% Z isomer, and their liquid phase was preserved for at least a month in dark, demonstrating the exceptionally long-term storage of latent heat (Figures 11A-F). [0171] Figure 6B shows the % Z acquired for each compound by the direct sunlight, filtered sunlight, LED, and fluorescent light irradiation. The experiments were conducted in a greenhouse for direct or filtered sunlight irradiation or under an ambient condition for the fluorescent light bulb illumination. The LED experiments were performed at temperatures a few degrees above the melting point of each E isomer to achieve the maximum % Z: 50 ℃ for compound 1, 60 ℃ for compound 2, and 80 ℃ for compound 4 (Table 4). Due to the high melting point and crystallinity of compound 4, its conversion to Z isomer was negligible at room temperature or an elevated temperature in a greenhouse under direct or filtered sunlight. The photo-irradiation experiments on compounds 3 and 5 were performed at room temperature in a supercooled liquid (3) or liquid (5) phase. Interestingly, a fluorescent light bulb was more effective at isomerizing compound 3 than the direct of filtered sunlight. The complete experimental data on E-to-Z and Z-to-E conversion in solutions as well as condensed phases are summarized in Tables 4 and 5. The LED emission profiles in Figure 12 displayed comparable widths to those of filtered sunlight (Figure 3G). Table 4: Percentage of the Z or E Isomers Obtained at PSS Under LED Irradiation The 1-E, 2-E, and 4-E films were irradiated at 50, 60, and 80 °C, respectively. The liquid 5-E and supercooled 3-E films were irradiated at RT. Irradiation at a ) 530 nm, b ) 590 nm, c ) 625 nm, d ) 430 nm, and e ) by a fluorescence light bulb. Table 5: Percentage of Z-Isomers Acquired by the Solar Irradiation Through Bandpass Filters (BPF) or Direct Sunlight (N/A) [0172] Compound 1 achieved a high level of % Z in thin films under the filtered sunlight through BPF 4 (81%), similar to the maximum % Z acquired by 530 nm LED irradiation (84%), despite ~2 times lower total irradiance of filtered sunlight compared to LED (Figure 7). In contrast, compounds 2, 3, and 5 showed a larger difference of % Z between the sunlight- irradiated and LED-activated samples. This is primarily caused by the low absorption coefficient of E isomers at 590 nm and 625 nm (Figure 2), which requires a strong light source for achieving high % Z within a reasonable timeframe (e.g. hours). In the pursuit of achieving a higher % Z, compound 2 was irradiated under sunlight through BPF 1 (530 nm), but 58% conversion was obtained as nearly identical to the results of BPF 2 and 6 (Table 5). [0173] The crystal-to-liquid phase transition at a larger scale (160 mg) than the thin film condition was demonstrated by a stirred sunlight irradiation of 1-E in the greenhouse through BPF 5 which provided a broad transmission of 450-600 nm (Figures 6C-E). The conversion was successful, resulting in 72% Z within 5 hours of exposure to sunlight. The obtained liquid phase showed a similar viscosity to water rather than glycerol, as measured by strain sweep and frequency sweep rheometry (Figures 13A-B). The low viscosity of the organic liquid opens up new opportunities in achieving a large-quantity solar energy storage in such materials by employing a flow system, as previously demonstrated on solution-state norbornadiene (Wang et al., “Macroscopic Heat Release in a Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage System,” Energ. Environ. Sci.12:187-193 (2019), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) and (fulvalene)diruthenium (Moth-Poulsen et al., “Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) Energy Storage and Release System,” Energ. Environ. Sci.5:8534-8537 (2012), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety) MOST compounds. The viscosity of molten 1-E was measured to be similar to that of liquid 1-Z, suggesting that sunlight-driven E-Z switching could be achieved in the liquid flow system at elevated temperatures. The acquired liquid 1-Z was then triggered by 430 nm blue LED to immediately crystallize and release heat (Figure 6F-G). The crystallized material containing 91% E isomer after the heat release was recycled for energy storage in the greenhouse. [0174] This heat release process was successfully monitored by an IR thermal camera (Figures 14A-D). The immediate heat release from the liquid 1-Z was observed during the crystallization upon the exposure to 430 nm, as the temperature of the sample rises up to 23 ℃ which was consistently 2–3℃ higher than the surroundings. After the complete crystallization, the temperature dropped to 19–20 ℃, as the heat rapidly dissipated to the cooler environment. The control experiment in which the solid 1-E was irradiated by 430 nm LED showed no change of temperature, confirming that the appreciable temperature change observed from 1-Z is primarily the result of crystallization rather than photo-thermal effect. The mechanical stirring did not contribute to any measurable temperature change, as a constantly low temperature of stirred liquid 1-Z was detected before 430 nm irradiation (Figures 14A-D). [0175] The crystallization of liquid Z samples and the consequent heat release were effectively triggered by the irradiation of 430 nm LED. The n–π* band of all Z isomers (compounds 1-5) peaked at 424 ± 6 nm, thus the Z-to-E reverse isomerization occurred fast under 430 nm irradiation. Figure 15A shows a rapid exponential decrease of % Z in the liquid films of compound 1 upon 430 nm exposure. Even within 20 sec of irradiation, over 50% conversion to E isomer was obtained, and after 80 sec the % Z drops below 20% (Figure 16) inducing an immediate and complete crystallization. Since the crystallization was very rapid, it was challenging to monitor the nucleation and propagation processes. Thus a sample (2.5 cm by 2.5 cm film) was selected that was irradiated only for 20 sec to observe the growth of crystals under an optical microscope (Figure 15B). The partial crystallization is observed after 5 min past the initial irradiation, which reflects the slow assembly of E isomers in the liquid sample still containing ~50% Z isomers. The initial nucleation site propagated slowly over 60 min due to the low concentration of E isomers. After 16 hours, the crystalline phase became denser and thicker, while there was still liquid phase surrounding the crystals. This corroborates the long- term stability of Z liquid in dark (Figure 6A) and the high thermal reversion temperature for Z- to-E isomerization (onset T iso ~114 ℃, Figure 4, Table 2). [0176] Based on the measurement of the heat absorption, heat release, and photon absorption needed for isomerization, the energy conversion efficiency (ECE, %) of the optically- controlled energy storage system was calculated. The relative energy input and output are shown in Figure 15C for compound 1 as an example. The melting enthalpy for 1-E was obtained by integrating the DSC endothermic peak of melting transition (i.e. heat input). The heat output was calculated as the sum of the crystallization enthalpy of 1-E and the isomerization enthalpy released from Z-to-E reversion. The thermal energy storage efficiency, the ratio of heat output and input, thus exceeds 100% due to the additional isomerization enthalpy released during the optically-triggered crystallization (i.e.131%). [0177] The photon energy required to trigger the crystallization was calculated by applying the quantum yield of Z-to-E switching. Due to the suboptimal quantum yield of o- fluoroazobenzene (ΦZ-E = 0.49) (Knie et al., “Ortho-Fluoroazobenzenes: Visible Light Switches with Very Long-Lived Z Isomers,” Chem. Eur. J.20:16492-16501 (2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety), significant photon absorption was required for inducing crystallization. Therefore, the ECE, the ratio of heat output and the total photon and heat input, decreased to ~13%. Furthermore, considering the incident photon energy for E-to-Z conversion, the total ECE dropped to ~6% due to the low quantum yield of isomerization (Φ E-Z = 0.3) (Knie et al., “Ortho-Fluoroazobenzenes: Visible Light Switches with Very Long-Lived Z Isomers,” Chem. Eur. J.20:16492-16501 (2014), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety). If considering an incomplete E-to-Z or Z-to-E switching during the filtered sunlight irradiation or short 430 nm exposure, the photon energy consumption was reduced, leading to the slightly increased total ECE up to > 8% (Example 3 above). [0178] The photo-induced crystallization process was further manifested by the selective exposure of the Z isomer in liquid phase to 430 nm LED through an optical mask (Figure 15D). The interface between the exposed and covered area was investigated by optical microscopy to confirm that the crystallization is solely induced by photo-irradiation rather than nucleation from any artifact. Figure 15E clearly visualizes the selective irradiation process and the interface between the generated crystalline phase and intact liquid phase. The intricate crystal pattern was preserved for at least a month without any visible propagation of the crystals, confirming that only E isomers are able to crystallize, consistent with the long-term stability of Z liquid phase (Figure 6A). Therefore, the crystal propagation observed in Figure 15B implies the delayed assembly of E isomers that are intermixed with Z isomers (~50%) in the film after the brief, uniform exposure to blue light. [0179] Surprisingly, all compounds 1-5 were able to undergo E-to-Z isomerization by the exposure to a regular fluorescent light bulb (Table 4), which suggests a potential to develop energy storage materials that not only harness sunlight but also indoor ambient light. Compound 3 was selected to demonstrate the fluorescent light-induced E-to-Z switching (Figure 17A) and phase transition, since compound 3 showed a considerably larger % Z acquired by fluorescent light than filtered sunlight irradiation (Figure 6B). Due to the red-shifted n–π* band of 3-E (Figure 17B), the fluorescent light bulb emission centered around 550 nm and 610 nm (Figure 17C) effectively promoted E-to-Z conversion. The reversion was achieved by 430 nm irradiation, which had a negligible overlap with the bulb emission profile. [0180] The experimental procedure is illustrated in Figure 17D. Compound 3-E formed a supercooled liquid at room temperature upon pre-melting and the liquid film was exposed to fluorescent light through an optical mask. 3-Z isomer was generated by the selective irradiation and formed a stable liquid phase (a thermal half-life of 3-Z exceeds 1.5 years at room temperature, see Figures 18A-C and Table 6), while the supercooled 3-E gradually cold- crystallized during the 90 min experiment. The optical microscope images in Figure 17E show a clear contrast between the liquid Z isomers and crystalline E isomers. This shows the possibility of utilizing compound 3 among others as a PCM that harnesses photons from indoor fluorescent light and release latent heat upon triggering by a blue LED. Table 6: Summary of Half-Lives of Z Azobenzene Derivatives at 298K * Bléger et al., “o-Fluoroazobenzenes as Readily Synthesized Photoswitches Offering Nearly Quantitative Two-Way Isomerization with Visible Light,” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 134:20597-20600 (2012), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [0181] The newly designed compounds underwent sunlight-driven E-to-Z isomerization and simultaneous solid-to-liquid transition, storing both isomerization energy and latent heat in the liquid phase, without the need for high-intensity UV sources. The liquid phase containing maximum % Z was preserved for at least a month in the absence of crystallization, exhibiting a remarkable stability and the long-term storage of thermal energy. The rapid release of the stored energy prompted by a blue LED irradiation was clearly monitored by an IR thermal camera. The compounds also revealed the potential to recycle the photon energy from indoor fluorescent light illumination. This successful demonstrations signify the utility of photo-responsive organic materials for solar energy harvesting, as a complementary tool to photovoltaics and photocatalysis. [0182] Although preferred embodiments have been depicted and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that various modifications, additions, substitutions, and the like can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and these are therefore considered to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.