liquids now have holes thanks to an amazing breakthrough by a team scientists at Queen’s University Belfast. Researchers in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Queen’s, along with colleagues at the University of Liverpool, have invented a porous liquid with a potential for a massive range of new technologies including ‘carbon capture’. The liquid has the ability to dissolve massive amounts of gas, which are absorbed into the ‘holes’ in the liquid.
This discovery will effectively lead to what scientists call ‘carbon capture’ – trapping carbon dioxide from major sources, a fossil-fuel power plant for example, and storing it to prevent its entry into the atmosphere.
Prosessor Stuart James of Queen’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering said: “Materials which contain permanent holes, or pores, are technologically important. They are used for manufacturing a range of products from plastic bottles to petrol. However, until recently, these porous materials have been solids. What we have done is to design a special liquid from the ‘bottom-up’ – we designed the shapes of the molecules which make up the liquid so that the liquid could not fill up all the space. Because of the empty holes we then had in the liquid, we found that it was able to dissolve unusually large amounts of gas.”
James went on to say that the discovery is still in its early stages and a few more years will be needed to fully understand the ways in which the porous liquid can work.
“While these are early findings, this research could pave the way for greener energy production in the future.”
