Scientific innovations and discoveries are needed a great deal for the existence and evolution of the world around us. Scientists from different parts of the world are involved in researches and studies that help our planet reach a more sustainable state. Chemistry News for Students brings to you updates about the latest developments and innovations in the world of Chemistry.
Molecule to Harness Full Spectrum of Light
Renewable energy is the energy that is derived from natural sources that are constantly replenished, such as solar and wind power. Scientific research in the area of renewable energy has led to the discovery of a molecule that can absorb the entire visible spectrum of sunlight and convert it later into hydrogen which can then be used as fuel. Hydrogen being a clean fuel, does not release carbon or carbon dioxide during its consumption.
This molecule can be used to build more efficient solar cells that can support the transition to climate-friendly fuels such as hydrogen. According to the lead researcher Claudia Turro, a chemistry professor at Ohio State University, the photons from the sun can be transformed into hydrogen by saving the energy from sunlight and storing it into chemical bonds to be used at a later time. In this process, the molecule taken to an excited state absorbs the photon and stores electrons from the photon which in turn is used make hydrogen. This molecule that collects energy from the entire visible spectrum, can harness 50% more solar energy than current solar cells.
Converting solar energy to usable fuel forms requires a mechanism to store the energy first. The stored energy is then converted to usable fuel with the help of a catalyst. The previous attempts to convert the solar energy used catalysts derived from multiple molecules, which resulted in exchange of electrons between them. This led to the loss of some energy, which made this system less efficient. In the recent research the catalyst was made out of just one molecule of a form of rhodium. Rhodium, being a rare metal is a bit expensive, and the team is working on finding alternate less expensive materials.
Polymers that help water purification
The next item in Chemistry news for Students is concerned with water pollution. Pollution in all forms is killing our planet Earth. The quality of the air, water etc. that we consume is getting degraded by harmful pollutants and chemicals that contaminate them. Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water to make it fit for specific purposes, including drinking.
Arsenic is one of the most harmful elements found in contaminated water, though they normally occur only in low concentrations. As a result, the purification mechanism requires a selective removal approach and is energy-intensive. A recent research carried out at the University of Illinois developed a new device that can purify and remediate arsenic-contaminated water in a single step. Using specialized polymer electrodes, the arsenic content in the water is reduced by over 90%, while the energy consumption for this process was about 10 times lower than other methods.
The first polymer electrode in this device selectively captures the Arsenite from the contaminated water and sends it to the other polymer electrode. There the Arsenite is stripped of two of its electrons to an oxidized form of Arsenate, which is less toxic. Pure water leaves the device and the arsenate waste is concentrated for disposal.
Turmeric oil Films for Supermarket packaging
Chemical engineers at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia have developed a biodegradable biopolymer film containing turmeric oil that stops the growth of a common food fungus. Research carried out by these scientists showed that turmeric could stop the growth of the food contaminant fungus Aspergillus Niger, owing to its anti-microbial properties.
They used biopolymer films made from cassava starch, glycerol and carboxymethyl-cellulose to conduct these experiments. Varying amounts of turmeric oil were added to the films of different thicknesses. These were then coated onto brown packaging paper and were then incubated with A. niger spores. The researchers found that the films were effective at inhibiting A. niger growth. Thicker films with larger amounts of turmeric oil were found to be better in preventing the growth of the fungus.
Tests were also conducted with soaked samples to simulate contact with food moisture. The researchers found that more antimicrobial compounds were released from thicker films. But, the thickest films released antimicrobial compounds too slowly, and the thinnest ones released them too quickly, even before the microorganisms started growing. They concluded that the right combination of turmeric oil and film thickness are essential for inhibiting microorganisms.
The team also plans to conduct a user acceptance test to evaluate consumer responses for the packaging material with a thin layer of turmeric oil covering the food surface. This film, when made available commercially, could provide an environment friendly way for packaging perishables.
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