Nano-diamonds may be tiny, but they can help solve one of the biggest problems facing humanity today: climate change
[תרגום מאת ד”ר משה נחמני]
Hydrogen, the cleanest fuel burned, leaves nothing to be desired after consumption, except water, so many countries consider hydrogen as an efficient method of producing energy in the future, but the transition to a hydrogen economy requires hydrogen production to be much more economical and cheaper than today.
In a study recently published in the scientific journal Nature Energy , Researchers from Kyoto University in Japan describe how nano-diamond-reinforced membranes based on composites can purify hydrogen from its wet blends, a method that makes hydrogen production much more efficient and cost-effective. “There are several methods for producing hydrogen, but most often hydrogen comes as a component in wet mixtures so 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 result of graphite, can be used to produce a membrane for purifying hydrogen. Hydrogen gas molecules pass easily through these membranes, while larger molecules get stuck in the membranes’ nostrils. Hydrogen is usually separated from mixtures with carbon dioxide and atmospheric oxygen in extremely humid conditions. The graphene oxide sheets are negatively charged, so their molecules repel each other. When exposed to moisture, the negatively charged sheets repel each other even more, allowing the water molecules to accumulate inside the gaps between the sheets and cause the entire membrane to become water-soluble.
One researcher explains that adding nano-diamonds to graphene oxide sheets solves the separation problem due to moisture. “Positively charged nano-diamonds can eliminate the rejection resulting from the negativity of the membrane, a fact that makes graphene oxide sheets more dense and more water repellent.” In our research we were able to use nano-diamonds with well-defined sizes and functionality, nano-diamonds without them the whole whole research could not have been done, “said the lead researcher.” What is important is that one of our partners has a patented technology “Reasonable in the near future.”
The lead researcher explains that nano-diamonds have many possible applications other than hydrogen production. Humidity control is also an essential tool in a number of other areas, including the manufacture of drugs, semiconductors and lithium-ion based batteries. 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 greater amount of carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
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