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Feature
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Written by Sabrina Deparine
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Monday, 16 August 2010 10:11 |
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Page views: 907 |
Scientists from South Korea and the United States have collaborated to develop and improve the design of an artificial crystal that can absorb and store carbon dioxide.
 The said crystals is called metal-organic framework (MOF). These are porous materials that carry stable structures so they can absorb and compress gases like carbon dioxide into very small spaces. The main purpose of this project was to promote the use of clean energy by capturing or heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere. As such, MOFs can contribute to the fight against global warming, ocean acidity and rising sea levels.
Actually this crystal technology is no longer new. Earlier crystals were named MOF-177 and although these were effective, the team of scientists decided to make some improvements on the design and came up with two new versions of MOFs: MOF-200 and MOF-210. The difference between MOF-177 and the MOF-200 series is the latter can store twice the volume of gases as compared to the former.
MOFs can serve several uses. One is as a short-term storage of carbon dioxide or as fuel gas storage. These can be produced from low-cost components like zinc oxide, a common sunscreen component, and terephthalate which is a common component of plastic beverage bottles. |
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