Nanotechnology material could help reduce CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants

(Nanowerk News) University of Adelaide researchers have  developed a new nanomaterial that could help reduce carbon dioxide emissions  from coal-fired power stations.

The new nanomaterial, described in the Journal of the  American Chemical Society (“Post-synthetic Structural Processing in a  Metal–Organic Framework Material as a Mechanism for Exceptional CO2/N2 Selectivity”), efficiently separates the  greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from nitrogen, the other significant component of  the waste gas released by coal-fired power stations. This would allow the carbon  dioxide to be separated before being stored, rather than released to the  atmosphere.

“A considerable amount of Australia‘s – and the world’s – carbon  dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power stations,” says Associate Professor  Christopher Sumby, project leader and ARC Future Fellow in the  University’s School of Chemistry and Physics.

“Removing CO2 from the flue gas  mixture is the focus of a lot of research. Most of Australia’s energy generation  still comes from coal. Changing to cleaner energies is not that straightforward  but, if we can clean up the emissions, we’ve got a great stop-gap technology.”

The researchers have produced a new absorbent material, called a  ‘metal-organic framework‘, which has “remarkable selectivity” for separating  CO2 from nitrogen.

“It is like a sponge but at a nanoscale,” says Associate  Professor Sumby. “The material has small pores that gas molecules can fit into –  a CO2 molecule fits but a nitrogen molecule is  slightly too big. That’s how we separate them.”

Other methods of separating CO2 from nitrogen are energy-intensive and expensive. This material has the  potential to be more energy efficient. It’s easy to regenerate (removing the  CO2) for reuse, with small changes in temperature  or pressure.

“This material could be used as it is but there are probably  smarter ways to implement the benefits,” says Associate Professor Sumby.

“One of the next steps we’re pursuing is taking the material in  powder form and dispersing it in a membrane. That may be more practical for  industrial use.”

The project is funded by the Science Industry Endowment Fund and  is a collaboration between researchers in the Centre of Advanced  Nanomaterials, in the School of Chemistry and Physics, and the CSIRO.

Source: University of Adeleide

Read more: http://www.nanowerk.com/news2/newsid=31235.php#ixzz2YdWOaqRt

New 2-D Material for Next Generation High-Speed Electronics

Jan. 21, 2013 — Scientists at CSIRO and RMIT University have produced a new two-dimensional material that could revolutionise the electronics market, making “nano” more than just a marketing term.

 

 

The material — made up of layers of crystal known as molybdenum oxides — has unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultra-high speeds.

In a paper published in the January issue of materials science journal Advanced Materials, the researchers explain how they adapted a revolutionary material known as graphene to create a new conductive nano-material.

Graphene was created in 2004 by scientists in the UK and won its inventors a Nobel Prize in 2010. While graphene supports high speed electrons, its physical properties prevent it from being used for high-speed electronics.

The CSIRO’s Dr Serge Zhuiykov said the new nano-material was made up of layered sheets — similar to graphite layers that make up a pencil’s core.

“Within these layers, electrons are able to zip through at high speeds with minimal scattering,” Dr Zhuiykov said.

“The importance of our breakthrough is how quickly and fluently electrons — which conduct electricity — are able to flow through the new material.”

RMIT’s Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh said the researchers were able to remove “road blocks” that could obstruct the electrons, an essential step for the development of high-speed electronics.

“Instead of scattering when they hit road blocks, as they would in conventional materials, they can simply pass through this new material and get through the structure faster,” Professor Kalantar-zadeh said.

“Quite simply, if electrons can pass through a structure quicker, we can build devices that are smaller and transfer data at much higher speeds.

“While more work needs to be done before we can develop actual gadgets using this new 2D nano-material, this breakthrough lays the foundation for a new electronics revolution and we look forward to exploring its potential.”

In the paper titled ‘Enhanced Charge Carrier Mobility in Two-Dimensional High Dielectric Molybdenum Oxide,’ the researchers describe how they used a process known as “exfoliation” to create layers of the material ~11 nm thick.

The material was manipulated to convert it into a semiconductor and nanoscale transistors were then created using molybdenum oxide.

The result was electron mobility values of >1,100 cm2/Vs — exceeding the current industry standard for low dimensional silicon.

The work, with RMIT doctoral researcher Sivacarendran Balendhran as the lead author, was supported by the CSIRO Sensors and Sensor Networks Transformational Capability Platform and the CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering Division.

It was also a result of collaboration between researchers from Monash University, University of California — Los Angeles (UCLA), CSIRO, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and RMIT.

Nano-material to revolutionize computing

 

 

Jan 7, 2013, 05.37 PM IST: SYDNEY: A two-dimensional  nano-material could usher in nano-transistors and help revolutionise electronics, including ultra fast  computing, says an Australian research.

The new material – made up of layers of crystal known as molybdenum oxides – has unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultra-high speeds.

Researchers from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) explain how they adapted a revolutionary material known as graphene to create a new conductive nano-material, the journal Advanced Materials reports.

Graphene created by scientists in Britain won its inventors a  Nobel Prize in 2010. While the new material supports high speed electrons, its physical properties stump high-speed electronics, according to a  CSIRO statement.

Serge Zhuiykov from the CSIRO said the new nano-material was made up of layered sheets – similar to graphite layers that make up a pencil’s core.

“Within these layers, electrons are able to zip through at high speeds with minimal scattering,” Zhuiykov said.

“The importance of our breakthrough is how quickly and fluently electrons – which conduct electricity – are able to flow through the new material,” he added. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) doctoral researcher Sivacarendran Balendhran led the study.

Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, professor at the RMIT, said the researchers were able to remove “road blocks” that could obstruct the electrons, an essential step for the development of high-speed electronics.

“While more work needs to be done before we can develop actual gadgets using this new  2D nano-material, this breakthrough lays the foundation for a new electronics revolution and we look forward to exploring its potential,” he adds.