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    Down The Tubes: Efficient Production of Syngas

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    Materials scientists in the UK have now obtained the first experimental evidence of atomic displacements associated with shear strain in "zig-zag" single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) Their work provides details on how structures respond to strain and provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials.

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    Down The Tubes: Efficient Production of Syngas

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    bathinsreenivas
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    Materials scientists in the UK have now obtained the first experimental evidence of atomic displacements associated with shear strain in "zig-zag" single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) Their work provides details on how structures respond to strain and provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials.

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    Materials scientists in the UK have now obtained the first experimental evidence of atomic displacements associated with shear strain in "zig-zag" single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) Their work provides details on how structures respond to strain and provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials.

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    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    3 views1 page

    Down The Tubes: Efficient Production of Syngas

    Uploaded by

    bathinsreenivas
    Materials scientists in the UK have now obtained the first experimental evidence of atomic displacements associated with shear strain in "zig-zag" single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) Their work provides details on how structures respond to strain and provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials.

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    of 1

    RESEARCH NEWS

    Down the tubes


    CARBON

    What happens when you bend a carbon nanotube? Materials scientists in the UK have now obtained the first experimental evidence of atomic displacements associated with shear strain in zig-zag single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. Their work provides details on how structures respond to strain and provides fundamental insights into the mechanical behavior of nanomaterials [Warner et al., Nature Mater (2011) doi:10.1038/nmat3125]. Recent research suggests that quantum effects can become manifest on macroscopic scales, so understanding how behavior commonly associated everyday objects, such as bending, might manifest themselves at the molecular level is crucial if we are to be able to understand and manipulate small-scale devices, such as nanoelectromechanical systems. Jamie Warner and colleagues at the University of Oxford, have now taken the first small steps towards a clearer understanding of the mechanical response of SWNTs, which are commonly touted as the building blocks of a range of nanoscale devices and materials. SWNTs are very strong and elastic, which makes them potentially ideal oscillators for

    Nanotube bending. Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nature Mater, doi:10.1038/nmat3125, 2011.

    NEMS. Understanding shear strain and how these entities bend is important if we are to incorporate them into systems. One aspect of understanding what was previously missing was to determine whether carbon-carbon bonds are compressed or stretched under elastic distortion. In order to examine SWNTs without the complications of the hexagonal twist, the team deposited SWNTs from a solution of 1,2-dichloroethane on to a lacey carbon-coated TEM grid. They were then able to suspend the SWNTs in free space without interference from a substrate. The process of solvent removal leads to a bending of the SWNTs; the TEM then allowed the team to reveal how the forces altered the bonding and structure.

    We show the existence of a dominant nonuniform shear strain that varies along the SWNT axis. The direction of shear is opposite to what would be expected from a simple force applied perpendicular to the axis to produce the bending, the team said. The researchers add that the situation might be different for chiral SWNTs that have an inherent twist. Intriguingly, in the SWNTs examined there is no apparent origin for the torsional force that gives rise to the bending. Further work may reveal that force as well allowing the team to generalize to other types of SWNTs and to extend the concepts to other components of putative NEMS devices. David Bradley

    Efficient production of syngas


    ENERGY The need to find a replacement for fossil fuels has focused the minds of many researchers over the last few years. The development of biofuels; crops that take in CO2, water, and sunlight to create biomass, which is then transferred to a refinery to create fuel, has found many adherents. However, a new study has come up with a method of artificially converting carbon dioxide gas into carbon-based chemicals that can be used as fuel or other compounds derived from petroleum, which could offer huge benefits for future fuel production. Researchers from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and Dioxide Materials, whose work was published in the journal Science, have produced a catalyst that can significantly lower the energy needs of artificial photosynthesis [Rosen et al., Science (2011) doi:10.1126/science.1209786]. The team used an electrochemical cell that takes energy from solar or wind power to convert CO2 to simple carbon fuels, which are then further refined to make ethanol and other fuels. This approach also has the advantage of recycling CO2 instead of using carbon capture and storage. The artificial photosynthesis uses a solar collector or windmill that is able to collect energy to power an electrolyzer, which converts CO2 to a synthesis gas (syngas), which is then piped straight to a refinery to produce fuel. The main problem with artificial photosynthesis has been that it is very energy intensive in terms of turning carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide to make fuel. The method the team used involved an ionic liquid to catalyze the reaction, which helped to lower the amount of energy needed to drive the process. The ionic liquids act to stabilize the intermediates in the reaction, meaning that less electricity is required to finish off the conversion. The scientists showed how to make syngas efficiently from any source of electricity, with up to 80 % energy efficiency, due to successfully avoiding the high-energy intermediate, so there is less energy wastage and CO2 recycling becomes a viable option. Rich Masel, who was a co-principal investigator on the study, points out The key advantage is that there is no competition with the food supply, and it is a lot cheaper to transmit electricity than it is to ship biomass to a refinery. The technique allows for electricity to be collected and sent to the refinery to create hydrocarbons, which is much easier than sending hydrogen produced from solar energy and then collecting and sending that to a refinery where the hydrogen reacts with carbon dioxide to produce hydrocarbons. The infrastructure that underpins this process is therefore cheaper than that supporting other artificial photosynthesis approaches. The next step for the team is to explore the problem of throughput, to speed up the reaction, and maximize conversion, helping the innovation to be more commercially viable.

    Laurie Donaldson

    582

    DECEMBER 2011 | VOLUME 14 | NUMBER 12

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