Researchers have solved a key hurdle in greener manufacturing, carbon capture, energy storage and gas purification – using metal oxides.
Researchers have solved a key hurdle in greener manufacturing, carbon capture, energy storage and gas purification – using metal oxides.
Metal oxides are compounds that play a crucial role in processes that reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These processes include carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), purifying and recycling inert gases in solar panel manufacturing, thermochemical energy storage, and producing hydrogen for energy.
These processes are based on reactions where metal oxides gain and lose electrons, known as redox reactions. However, the performance of metal oxides suffers under redox reactions at the high temperatures required for chemical manufacturing.
Now, a team led by Imperial College London has developed a new materials design strategy that produces copper-based metal oxides that perform better under high temperatures. The technology is already having a global impact on argon recycling in solar panel manufacturing and is expected to help unleash even more power from existing energy technologies that fight the climate crisis.
Read more at Imperial College London
Image: Close-up of the metal oxides (Credit: Imperial College London)
