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Stanford engineers develop catalyst strategy to improve turnover frequencies for CO2 conversion to hydrocarbons by orders of magnitude

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Researchers at Stanford University have shown that porous polymer encapsulation of metal-supported catalysts can drive the selectivity of CO 2 conversion to hydrocarbons. The research team encapsulated a supported Ru/TiO 2 catalyst within the polymer layers of an imine-based porous organic polymer that controls its selectivity.

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Researchers use melamine to create effective, low-cost carbon capture; potential tailpipe application

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Using an inexpensive polymer called melamine, researchers from UC Berkeley, Texas A&M and Stanford have created a cheap, easy and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks. We distinguished ammonium carbamate pairs and a mix of ammonium carbamate and carbamic acid during carbon dioxide chemisorption.

Low Cost 243
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Polymer-dipped carbon nanotube catalysts equal or outperform platinum catalysts in fuel cells; potential for significant cost reduction

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Illustration of charge transfer process and oxygen reduction reaction on PDDA-CNT [poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)-carbon nanotube]. The team led by Liming Dai, a professor of chemical engineering, is certain they can boost the power output and maintain the other advantages by matching the best nanotube layout and type of polymer.

Polymer 270
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U of I team uses frontal polymerization for rapid energy-efficient manufacturing of polymers; saving 10 orders of magnitude of energy

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Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new polymer-curing process that could reduce the cost, time and energy needed, compared with the current manufacturing process. The resulting polymer and composite parts possess similar mechanical properties to those cured conventionally. —Robertson et al.

Polymer 186
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Simple process transforms PET plastic into a nanomaterial for supercapacitors

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Then, using an electrospinning process, they fabricated microscopic fibers from the polymer and carbonized the plastic threads in a furnace. Although they don’t store as much energy as lithium-ion batteries, these supercapacitors can charge much faster—a good option for many applications. —Professor Cengiz Ozkan.

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Swedish researchers explore use of carbon fiber as active electrode in structural battery for electric vehicles

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Woven carbon fiber can act as an electrode for lithium ion batteries. Researchers in Sweden are exploring the use of carbon fiber as an active electrode in a multifunctional structural Li-ion battery in an electric car; i.e., electrical storage is incorporated into the body of the car. Photo: Peter Larsson) Click to enlarge.

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Self-healing polymer wrapper enables longer cycle life in silicon anodes for Li-ion batteries

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Top: The stress of repeated swelling and shrinking shatters a conventional silicon electrode and its polymer binding. Bottom: An electrode coated with stretchy, self-healing polymer remains intact. (C. To make the self-healing coating, the scientists deliberately weakened some of the chemical bonds within polymers. Wang et al.,

Li-ion 230