A new tool in the fight against climate change has been discovered by a team of scientists in the United Kingdom. They have developed a porous material that can store large quantities of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and sulphur hexafluoride. The material was created using computational models and is resembling a cage made up of smaller molecules, an organic supermolecule composed of oxygen, nitrogen, and fluorine.
Engineering professor Marc Little from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University expressed excitement about the discovery, stating that new porous materials are needed to address major societal challenges. He explained that while planting trees can absorb carbon dioxide, it is a slow process, so there is a need for human-made molecules to capture greenhouse gases more efficiently.
Other options for capturing carbon are also being explored, such as two-dimensional structures made from boron with a large surface area and concrete absorbing greenhouse gases. However, one challenge is transitioning these lab experiments into practical solutions that can be implemented on a larger scale.
Scaling up these new materials and technologies to have a meaningful impact on climate change remains a complex challenge. Scientists like Marc Little are working to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world applications. By addressing these challenges, new materials and strategies could play a critical role in combating climate change in the future.
