Nanodiamonds may be tiny, but they could help solve one of the biggest problems facing humanity today: climate change
[Translation by Dr. Moshe Nachmani]
Hydrogen, a fuel that burns in the cleanest way, leaves nothing after its consumption as a fuel, except water, and therefore many countries treat hydrogen as an efficient method of producing energy in the future, but the transition to a hydrogen economy requires that the production of hydrogen be much more economical and cheaper than today.
In a study published a long time ago in the scientific journal Nature Energy , researchers from Kyoto University in Japan describe how nanodiamond-reinforced membranes based on composites can purify hydrogen from its wet mixtures, a method that makes hydrogen production much more efficient and cost-effective. "There are several methods for producing hydrogen, but hydrogen usually comes as a component in wet mixtures so that its purification is a challenge," says Professor Easan Sivaniah, who led the research team. "Membrane technologies enable energy-efficient and cost-effective separation processes. However, we need to use the right membrane materials to enable them to function properly," said the lead researcher.
Graphene oxide (GO), a water-soluble derivative of graphite, can be used to produce a membrane for hydrogen purification. The hydrogen gas molecules easily pass through these membranes, while larger molecules get stuck in the membrane pores. Hydrogen is often separated from mixtures with atmospheric carbon dioxide and oxygen under extremely humid conditions. The sheets of graphene oxide are negatively charged, so their molecules repel each other. When exposed to moisture, the negatively charged sheets repel each other even more, allowing water molecules to accumulate in the gaps between the sheets and causing the entire membrane to become water soluble.
One of the researchers explains that adding nanodiamonds to the graphene oxide sheets solves the problem of separation due to moisture. "Positively charged nanodiamonds can eliminate the repulsion resulting from the membrane's negativity, a fact that makes the graphene oxide sheets denser and more water repellent." As part of our research, we were able to use nanodiamonds with well-defined sizes and functionality, nanodiamonds without which the entire research could not have been done," said the lead researcher. "What is important is that one of our partners has a patented technology that enables the production of nanodiamonds at a reasonable cost in the near future."
The lead researcher explains that nanodiamonds have many possible applications apart from hydrogen production. Humidity control is also an essential measure in several other fields, including the production of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and batteries based on lithium ion. Membrane technology can also lead to a breakthrough in the field of air conditioning by effectively removing moisture, because a significant amount of the electricity consumed in air conditioners is generally used to remove moisture, while creating a larger amount of carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
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One response
very general The interesting part of these articles is how great the efficiency is. You don't need to translate the article in Nature one by one, but you can inject a little more technical information. This is what most readers are interested in. Get a little more understanding of the mechanism and if there is an economic element - as there usually is - then get information. It is interesting. The scientist could easily make it much more interesting.