​Researchers invent chameleon metal that could improve efficiency for storing renewable energy

Researchers led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have invented a new device that electronically converts one metal into behaving like another to use as a catalyst for speeding chemical reactions. The fabricated device, called a “catalytic condenser,” is the first to demonstrate that alternative materials that are electronically modified to provide new properties can yield faster, more efficient chemical processing. The invention opens the door for new catalytic technologies using non-precious metal catalysts for important applications such as storing renewable energy, making renewable fuels, and manufacturing sustainable materials. The catalyst film, in this case, an amorphous 4 nm thick layer of alumina, is deposited on top of a graphene/insulator/conductor stack, and application of a voltage between graphene and the bottom electrode induces charge in the catalyst, thereby tuning the surface catalytic chemistry.

Photo Tzia Ming Onn


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