R&D Round-Up

Glass and Gas

Researchers from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the University of Leipzig and the University of Vienna have invented a new method for separating carbon dioxide from gas mixtures. They achieved this by transforming crystalline metal-organic framework compounds into glass, reducing the pore size of the material to make it impermeable to certain gas molecules. These glass-like materials were previously considered non-porous, but the researchers took advantage of the loss of structure during melting and compression. The breakthrough allows for precise adjustment of pore channels, with potential applications in developing glass membranes for environmental purposes.

Better Bacteria

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne have come up with a bacterial toolkit that helps plants thrive in challenging environments. This toolkit allows bacteria to colonize plant roots and enhance their growth by improving nutrient uptake. By engineering specific bacterial strains, researchers have created a symbiotic relationship between the bacteria and plants, leading to increased crop yields and resilience. This toolkit could improve sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and promoting healthier plant growth.

Beyond Diamonds

Researchers from the University of Bayreuth and the University of Edinburgh have created a carbon-nitrogen compound, C₃N₄, that is harder than diamonds. The scientists used extreme pressures and temperatures to synthesize four carbon nitrides, revealing unique structures responsible for their remarkable mechanical properties. These materials can be easily adapted for a variety of engineering applications. The recovery of these materials to ambient conditions opens new possibilities in high-pressure materials science.

Green Hydrogen

Scientists at Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) and Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies (HI-ERN) have developed a material library to enhance the stability of iridium-based catalysts used in electrolytic water splitting for green hydrogen production. By systematically varying the concentrations of iridium and titanium oxides in the library, they found that the presence of titanium oxides significantly improves the stability of the iridium catalyst. This stability is crucial for the efficiency of electrolysis cells used to produce hydrogen from renewable sources. The study suggests that incorporating a specific ratio of titanium oxide can substantially reduce iridium dissolution, offering a practical way to enhance the durability of anodes in hydrogen production technologies.

Cleaning Up

Researchers from the Institute of Textile Technologies at the RWTH Aachen University, the University of Bonn and the Heimbach company have devised a new method to remove oil spills from water surfaces in an eco-friendly, cost-efficient manner without using harmful substances. They achieved this through a technical textile integrated into a floating container, resulting in a device called the Bionic Oil Adsorber (BOA). The BOA, inspired by the oil adsorption properties of the floating fern Salvinia molesta, separates oil from water using a superhydrophobic spacer fabric. Remarkably, the device operates without external energy, relying solely on capillary forces to transport oil through the textile into a collection container.

Source: idw- Informationsdienst Wissenschaft