11/10/2021

To convert carbon dioxide to fuel

Researchers from QUT's Centre for Materials Science, led by Associate Professor Liangzhi Kou, were part of an international study that used theoretical modelling to identify six metals (nickel, niobium, palladium, rhenium, rhodium, zirconium) that were found to be effective in a reaction that can convert carbon dioxide into sustainable and clean energy sources. The study published in Nature Communications involved QUT researchers Professor Aijun Du, Professor Yuantong Gu and Dr. Lin Ju. Professor Kou said the research was conducted by modelling the experiments using the National Computational Infrastructure at the Australian National University, looking at how single atoms of the metals would react with two-dimensional pieces of "ferroelectric" materials.

Ferroelectric materials have a positive charge on one face, and negative charge on another, and this polarization can be reversed when a voltage is applied. In the theoretical modelling, the researchers found that adding the atom of the catalyst metal to the ferroelectric material resulted in converting the greenhouse gas into a desired chemical fuel. Once the polarity is reversed, the state will be preserved to act as a catalyst in converting the carbon dioxide. Professor Kou said while single-atom catalysts to be used in reducing carbon dioxide was proposed a decade ago, this research takes the field forward significantly.Professor Kou said the results of this study could eventually lead to a way of adding a coating to engines or industrial systems that would convert carbon dioxide instead of releasing more of the gas into the atmosphere.

https://phys.org/news/2021-10-catalysts-carbon-dioxide-fuel.html

Researchers in Japan have found an energy-efficient way to convert the chief greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful chemicals. Using the method, CO2 is transformed into structures called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), suggesting a new and simpler route to dispose of the greenhouse gas to help tackle global warming. The research was carried out by scientists at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, and colleagues, and the results are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Read: https://phys.org/news/2021-10-simple-method-carbon-dioxide-compounds.html

No comments :

Post a Comment