Category Environment/Geology

This is a schematic representation of photocatalytic hydrogen production with InP/ZnS quantum dots in a typical assay.
Credit: Shan Yu

Researchers at the University of Zurich have developed a nanoparticle type for novel use in artificial photosynthesis by adding zinc sulfide on the surface of indium-based quantum dots. These quantum dots produce clean hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight – a sustainable source of energy. They introduce new eco-friendly and powerful materials to solar photocatalysis.

Quantum dots are true all-rounders. These material structures, which are only a few nanometers in size, display a similar behavior to that of molecules or atoms, and their form, size and number of electrons can be modulated systematically...

Joule, Sun et al.: “Heat-insulating multifunctional semitransparent polymer solar cells” https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(18)30242-3

Environmentally friendly building trends have boosted the popularity of window coatings that keep heating and cooling costs down by blocking out unneeded parts of sunlight. They have also inspired scientists and engineers to create thin, see-through solar cells to turn windows into miniature electricity generators. Researchers in China have gone a step further and combined these two functions into one window-compatible material that could double the energy efficiency of an average household. Their work appears July 3 in the journal Joule.

“Building-integrated photovoltaics are a great example of a market where silicon photovoltaics, despite thei...

Various schemes for electrolytically generating H2 while consuming CO2 and transforming it to dissolved mineral bicarbonate.

Limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius will require not only reducing emissions of CO2, but also active removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This conclusion from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has prompted heightened interest in “negative emissions technologies.” A new study evaluates the potential for recently described methods that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through an “electrogeochemical” process that also generates hydrogen gas for use as fuel and creates by-products that can help counteract ocean acidification.

First author Greg Rau, a researcher in the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz and visiting scie...

Chemical synthesis routes to P3HB. a Classical route via the ROP of rac-β-BL to iso-enriched P3HB. b The new route via the ROP of rac-DL to perfectly isotactic P3HB. (Pm is the probability of meso linkages between HB units, and mm is isotactic triad made up of two adjacent meso diads)

The team describes synthesis of a polymer called bacterial poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), or P3HB. Colorado State University polymer chemists have taken another step toward a future of high-performance, biorenewable, biodegradable plastics. The compound shows early promise as a substitute for petroleum plastics in major industrial uses.

P3HB is a biomaterial, typically produced by bacteria, algae and other microorganisms, and is used in some biomedical applications...