Imagine a box you plug into the wall that cleans your toxic air and pays you cash.
That’s essentially what Vanderbilt University researchers produced after discovering the blueprint for turning the carbon dioxide into carbon nanotubes with small diameters.
Carbon nanotubes are supermaterials that can be stronger than steel and more conductive than copper. The reason they’re not in every application from batteries to tires is that these amazing properties only show up in the tiniest nanotubes, which are extremely expensive. Not only did the Vanderbilt team show they can make these materials from carbon dioxide sucked from the air, but how to do this in a way that is much cheaper than any other method out there.
These materials, which Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Cary Pint calls “black gold,” could steer the conversation from the negative impact of emissions to how we can use them in future technology.
“One of the most exciting things about what we’ve done is use electrochemistry to pull apart carbon dioxide into elemental constituents of carbon and oxygen and stitch together, with nanometer precision, those carbon atoms into new forms of matter,” Pint said. “That opens the door to being able to generate really valuable products with carbon nanotubes.
“These could revolutionize the world.”
Image Credit: Vanderbilt University
News This Week
Scientists Just Found a Surprising Way To Destroy “Forever Chemicals”
Scientists have uncovered a new mechanism that may help break down highly persistent PFAS pollutants. PFAS have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” for a reason. These industrial compounds are so chemically durable that they [...]
Scientists Discover Cheap Material That Kills Deadly Superbugs
A new sulfur-rich antimicrobial polymer shows strong effectiveness against fungal and bacterial pathogens and may offer an affordable solution to antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is creating growing challenges for both healthcare and food production, [...]
What to Know About Cicada, or BA.3.2, the Latest SARS-CoV-2 Variant Under Monitoring
Like periodical cicadas, the insects for which it is nicknamed, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariant BA.3.2 is only just beginning to emerge after lying low for an extended period since it first appeared. Although it was [...]
Scientists Say This Simple Supplement May Actually Reverse Heart Disease
Scientists in Japan say a common supplement may actually help “unclog” certain diseased heart arteries from the inside out. A simple food supplement sold in Japan may have helped reverse a dangerous form of [...]
New breakthrough against radiation: Korean Scientists create revolutionary shield with nanotechnology
Korean Scientists develop new nanotechnology material capable of reducing radiation impacts in space missions, hospitals, and power plants. The search for more efficient protection technologies in extreme environments has just gained an important advance. Korean [...]
Scientists Just Discovered the Hidden Trick That Keeps Your Cells Alive
A strange bead-like motion inside cells may be the secret to keeping their DNA—and health—in balance. Mitochondria are often described as the power plants of the cell because they produce the energy cells need [...]
Scientists Discover Stem Cells That Could Regrow Teeth and Bone
Scientists just uncovered the cellular “blueprint” that could one day let us regrow real teeth. Researchers at Science Tokyo have uncovered two distinct stem cell lineages that play a central role in forming tooth [...]
Scientists Uncover Fatal Weakness in “Zombie Cells” Linked to Cancer
A newly identified weakness in “zombie” cells may open the door to more precise cancer treatments by turning their own survival strategy against them. A new class of drugs takes advantage of a recently [...]
Leave A Comment