Oct 1 2014
Crystalline materials capable of absorbing and storing oxygen in large quantities have been synthesized by University of Southern Denmark researchers. It is also possible to release the stored oxygen from the material whenever and wherever required by subjecting it to gentle heating or low oxygen pressures.
The new crystalline material changes color when absorbing or releasing oxygen. Crystals are black when they are saturated with oxygen and pink when the oxygen has been released again. (Credit: University of Southern Denmark)
Professor Christine McKenzie, one of the researchers, said that the material’s reaction with oxygen is not irreversible even though the oxygen absorption in this material is by means of selective chemisorptive process. The material acts as a solid artificial hemoglobin, allowing bonding, storage, and transportation of oxygen, McKenzie added.
The researchers have explored the atomic arrangement of this crystalline material in the presence and absence of oxygen using the X-ray diffraction technique. The material serves as an oxygen sensor and container. According to the researchers, the material is capable of absorbing oxygen in high concentrations, nearly 160 folds higher than the oxygen concentration in the atmospheric air.
McKenzie further said that the material is capable of absorbing and releasing oxygen repeatedly like a sponge. Cobalt is the key element of the crystalline material, and is attached to a specially designed organic molecule, providing the necessary molecular and electronic structure for oxygen absorption.
The time taken for oxygen absorption by the crystalline material varies from seconds to minutes, hours and days based on the factors such as pressure, temperature, and the oxygen content in the atmosphere. The rate of binding varies with the versions of the material, enabling the development of devices capable of absorbing and/or releasing oxygen under various conditions.