Scientists have found a way to grow a miracle material that could do wonders for Earth

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have figured out how to take a wonder material capable of extracting value from captured carbon dioxide and do what no one else has: make it practical to produce for large-scale use. .

A breakthrough by chemical engineering assistant professor Gaurav “Gin” Giri’s lab group has implications for cleaning up the greenhouse gases that are a major contributor to the climate change dilemma. It could also help solve the world’s energy needs.

The substance, called MOF-525, belongs to a class of materials called metal-organic frameworks.

“If you can make these MOFs cover large areas, then new applications become possible, such as making a membrane for carbon capture and electrocatalytic conversion all in one system,” Giri said.

Electrocatalytic conversion creates a bridge from renewable energy sources to direct chemical synthesis, taking the burning of carbon dioxide-producing fossil fuels out of the equation.

What gives MOFs superpowers are their ultraporous, crystalline structures—3D networks of tiny nanometer-sized voids that create a huge internal surface area and act like a sponge—that can be engineered to trap all kinds of chemical compounds.

Top solution

Giri’s group reasoned that starting with a naturally scalable synthesis technique—solution shearing—would improve their chances. They have already had success cutting simpler MOFs.

In Giri’s process, MOF components are mixed in solution and then spread over the substrate using a shear knife. As the solution evaporates, the chemical bonds form the MOF as a thin film on the substrate. The application of MOF-525 in this way creates an all-in-one membrane for carbon capture and conversion.

“The bigger the membrane, the more surface area you have for reaction and the more product you can get,” said Prince Verma, Ph.D. in December 2023. a graduate of Giri’s lab. “With this process, you can increase the width of the shearing knife to whatever size you need.”

The team focused on CO₂ conversion to demonstrate its approach to cutting-edge solutions, as carbon capture is widely used to reduce industrial emissions or remove it from the atmosphere – but at a cost to operators with minimal return on investment: Carbon dioxide has little commercial value and is most often stored indefinitely underground .

With minimal energy input, however, using electricity to catalyze the reaction, MOF-525 can remove an oxygen atom to form carbon monoxide—a chemical that’s valuable for making fuels, pharmaceuticals, and other products.

The researchers published their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society Materials and interfaces used. Connor A. Koellner, Hailey Hall, Meagan R. Phister, Kevin H. Stone, Asa W. Nichols, Ankit Dhakal, and Earl Ashcraft also contributed.