UCF’s Yang Yang has invented a groundbreaking device that captures and converts carbon dioxide into valuable fuels and chemicals, inspired by the lotus leaf’s hydrophobic properties. This novel tech could dramatically reduce industrial emissions.
In a breakthrough blend of nature and technology, Yang Yang, an associate professor at the University of Central Florida’s NanoScience Technology Center, has crafted a novel device capable of capturing carbon dioxide emissions and transforming them into valuable fuels and chemicals. This innovative technology offers a promising solution to lessen industrial carbon footprints and foster sustainable energy production.
Yang’s device, detailed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, revolves around a sophisticated use of materials including a tin oxide film and a fluorine layer. The device captures carbon dioxide with a micro surface similar to that of lotus leaves, utilizing a bubbling electrode to convert CO2 into crucial raw materials like carbon monoxide and formic acid.
“We want to create a better technology to make our world better and cleaner,” said Yang in a news release. “Too much carbon dioxide will have a greenhouse effect on the Earth and will heat it up very quickly. It’s the motivation for why we want to develop this new material to grab and convert it into chemicals we can use.”
The core of this technology’s ingenuity lies in its lotus-inspired hydrophobic surface, which effectively manages water to ensure efficient CO2 capture and conversion. The lotus leaf, known for repelling water, provided the natural blueprint for this highly efficient system. This thoughtful design prevents the flooding of catalytic materials, thereby optimizing the conversion process.
“We as scientists always learn from nature,” Yang added. “We want to see how the animals and the trees work. For this work, we learned from the lotus.”
The device’s impact is far-reaching, with potential applications at power plants, industrial facilities and chemical production sites. By converting CO2 emissions into useful products, this technology aligns with global efforts to combat climate change.
The device transforms carbon dioxide into various chemicals, such as methanol, methane, ethylene, ethanol, acetate and propanol. This is achieved through the electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction, which customizes the conversion based on different catalyst reaction pathways.
“We just reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air and convert it in the liquid and gas phase so we can directly use those converted chemicals and fields for other applications,” Yang added.