University of Michigan scientists say they've discovered a new class of materials that might be used to remove carbon dioxide from factory emissions.
Since the Industrial Revolution, levels of carbon dioxide have been increasing, prompting scientists to search for ways of counteracting the trend.
The new materials invented and developed by Omar Yaghi at Michigan can store vast amounts of carbon dioxide, providing the highest carbon dioxide capacity of any porous material.
The materials, called metal-organic frameworks — sometimes referred to as crystal sponges — previously were shown to have great potential for storing hydrogen and methane.
On the molecular level, MOFs are scaffolds of metal hubs linked together with struts of organic compounds — a structure designed to maximize surface area.
Just one gram of a MOF has the surface area of a football field.
By modifying the rods in various ways, Yaghi and colleagues were able to increase greatly the material's storage capacity.
Yaghi and co-author Andrew Millward report their finding in the online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Source: United Press International
