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Category: materials – Page 42

Producing nuclear fusion fuel is banned in the US for being too toxic: Researchers find an alternative

Lithium-6 is essential for producing nuclear fusion fuel, but isolating it from the much more common isotope, lithium-7, usually requires liquid mercury, which is extremely toxic. Now, researchers have developed a mercury-free method to isolate lithium-6 that is as effective as the conventional method. The new method is presented in the journal Chem.

“This is a step towards addressing a major roadblock to nuclear energy,” says chemist and senior author Sarbajit Banerjee of ETH Zürich and Texas A&M University. “Lithium-6 is a critical material for the renaissance of nuclear energy, and this method could represent a viable approach to isotope separation.”

The conventional method used to isolate lithium-6, called the COLEX process, involves liquid mercury and has been banned in the United States since 1963 due to pollution concerns.

Solid-state lithium batteries may not deliver expected energy boost, study says

A recent study evaluating garnet-type solid electrolytes for lithium metal batteries finds that their expected energy density advantages may be overstated. The research reveals that an all-solid-state lithium metal battery (ASSLMB) using lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) would achieve a gravimetric energy density of only 272 Wh/kg, a marginal increase over the 250–270 Wh/kg offered by current lithium-ion batteries.

Given the high production costs and manufacturing challenges associated with LLZO, the findings suggest that composite or quasi-solid-state electrolytes may be more viable alternatives. The work is published in the journal Energy Storage Materials.

“All-solid-state lithium metal batteries have been viewed as the future of energy storage, but our study shows that LLZO-based designs may not provide the expected leap in ,” said Eric Jianfeng Cheng, lead author of the study and researcher at WPI-AIMR, Tohoku University. “Even under ideal conditions, the gains are limited, and the cost and manufacturing challenges are significant.”

3D van der Waals open frameworks signal a new era in porous materials

Researchers from Kyoto University have achieved a significant advancement in materials science by developing the world’s first three-dimensional van der Waals open frameworks (WaaFs). This innovation challenges the conventional belief that van der Waals interactions are too weak for open framework materials, demonstrating their potential for stable and highly porous materials.

Published in Nature Chemistry, the study presents a strategy using octahedral metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) as building blocks to construct WaaFs. These frameworks exhibit high , exceptional porosity, and reversible assembly, opening new avenues for applications in gas storage, separation, and catalysis.

WaaFs utilize van der Waals interactions, which were previously considered too weak, to form robust three-dimensional frameworks. These structures maintain their integrity at temperatures up to 593 K and achieve surface areas exceeding 2,000 m2/g, making them highly stable and efficient for various industrial applications.

New metal-free porous framework materials may have potential for hydrogen storage

Researchers at the University of Liverpool and the University of Southampton have used computational design methods to develop non-metal organic porous framework materials, with potential applications in areas such as catalysis, water capture or hydrogen storage.

In a study published in the journal Nature, the research team used inexpensive and abundant non-metallic elements, such as , to design non-metal organic porous frameworks (N-MOFs).

The new materials offer an alternative to (MOFs), a class of porous, crystalline materials made up of metals connected by organic linker compounds.

Leveraging skyscraper architecture: New design enhances porosity and structural stability for metal-organic frameworks

The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, employs advanced construction techniques designed to withstand wind, seismic activity, and its own massive weight. Among these techniques is the “Meta Column System,” which plays a pivotal role by strategically positioning large columns to resist lateral forces, thereby facilitating the construction of such a towering structure.

What if these advanced architectural techniques could be applied to material design?

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials formed by the combination of metal ions and organic ligands, resulting in structures similar to rebar in buildings. The design principle underlying MOFs closely resembles architectural planning.

Discovery of a crucial clue to accelerate the development of carbon-neutral porous materials

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been gaining attention as promising carbon-neutral porous materials, thanks to their high performance in gas storage, separation, and conversion. The geometric building blocks of MOFs, metal clusters and organic linkers, allow chemists to predict and synthesize new structures like assembling LEGO. However, finding new metal building blocks is still a daunting challenge due to the complex nature of metal ions in synthesis.

A research team, led by Professor Wonyoung Choe at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, was inspired by the molecular metal clusters previously synthesized before realized in porous materials. This implies one can predict future MOFs by looking closely at their metal building blocks.

The research team compared zirconium metal clusters found in both MOFs and molecules. Zirconium-based MOFs are one of the representative metal-organic porous materials with remarkable stability and a broad range of applications. The researchers identified seven types of zirconium building blocks in MOFs and discovered additional fourteen types of potential metal building blocks.

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