Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Novel System Sequesters CO2 and Generates Electricity

(a) Schematic illustration of MF Mg-CO2 battery. (b) The XRD profile of the precipitated white solid after discharge process in CO2 sat’d condition and N2 sat’d condition.

A recent study, affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a novel system, capable of producing hydrogen and electricity quickly and effectively while cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions significantly.

Published in the January 2021 issue of Nano Energy, this breakthrough has been carried out by Professor GunTae Kim and his research team in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST. In this study, the research team succeeded in developing a membrane-free aqueous metal-CO2 battery...

Read More

How to Prevent Short-circuiting in Next-Gen Lithium Batteries

metal electrode

New findings may help unleash the potential of high-powered, solid-electrolyte lithium batteries. A new approach could help solve the longstanding problem of dendrite formation, which has hampered the development of new solid-state lithium-ion batteries.

As researchers push the boundaries of battery design, seeking to pack ever greater amounts of power and energy into a given amount of space or weight, one of the more promising technologies being studied is lithium-ion batteries that use a solid electrolyte material between the two electrodes, rather than the typical liquid.

But such batteries have been plagued by a tendency for branch-like projections of metal called dendrites to form on one of the electrodes, eventually bridging the electrolyte and shorting out the battery cel...

Read More

Double-duty Catalyst generates Hydrogen Fuel while Cleaning up Wastewater

031721-energy
A newly developed catalyst can destroy medications and other compounds present in wastewater to generate hydrogen fuel.
Credit: Dmitri Ma/Shutterstock.com

Hydrogen is a pollution-free energy source when it’s extracted from water using sunlight instead of fossil fuels. But current strategies for “splitting” or breaking apart water molecules with catalysts and light require the introduction of chemical additives to expedite the process. Now, researchers reporting in ACS ES&T Engineering have developed a catalyst that destroys medications and other compounds already present in wastewater to generate hydrogen fuel, getting rid of a contaminant while producing something useful.

Harnessing the sun’s energy to split water to make hydrogen fuel is a promising renewable resource, but it is a ...

Read More

Could we Recycle Plastic Bags into Fabrics of the future?

Engineers have developed self-cooling fabrics from polyethylene, a material commonly used in plastic bags. They estimate that the new fabric may be more sustainable than cotton and other common textiles....Read More