<p>A research team, funded by the UK’s Natural Environmental Research Council, investigated how the emergence of the first living systems from inert geological materials happened on the Earth, more than 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists at Newcastle University found that by mixing hydrogen, bicarbonate, and iron-rich magnetite under conditions mimicking relatively mild hydrothermal vent results in the formation of a spectrum of organic molecules, most notably including fatty acids stretching up to 18 carbon atoms in length.</p>
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IMAGE: Ultra-High Proton Conduction via Extended Hydrogen-Bonding Network in Polyoxometalate-based Framework Functionalized with Lanthanide Ion view more
Credit: Sayaka Uchida, The University of Tokyo
Protons are the next big thing when it comes to fuel cell technology. The subatomic exchange produces power on a scale that challenges contemporary solid-state fuel cell technology, used to help power space shuttles. To realize the proton-based technology sooner, an international team of researchers have developed a hybrid material that effectively transports protons at high temperatures and humidity two major challenges in past attempts.
The results were published on April 19 in
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a journal of the American Chemical Society.