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Curtin find could slash energy use and cost in making silicon
Curtin University researchers have uncovered a method of making silicon, found commonly in electronics such as phones, cameras and computers, at room temperature.
The new technique works by replacing extreme heat with electrical currents to produce the same chemical reaction that turns silica into silicon at a reduced economic and environmental cost.
Lead researcher, PhD candidate Song Zhang from Curtin’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences said that while the team’s discovery was made at the nanoscale, it defines a way of replacing thermochemical processes with electrochemical processes, which can efficiently convert into clean electricity.
Tiny bubbles on electrodes key to speeding up chemical processes chemeurope.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chemeurope.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Bubbles on electrodes? Not a problem
Research shows they can speed up chemical processes.
Credit: Curtin University
Australian researchers say they have shown that the formation of bubbles on electrodes – usually thought to be a hindrance – can, in fact, be beneficial.
When deliberately added, bubbles or oil droplets can accelerate processes such as the removal of pollutants from contaminated water and the production of chlorine, they write in a paper in
Nature Communications.
Simone Ciampi from Curtin University, which led the project, says many industrial processes are electrochemical, meaning the desired chemical reaction to create an end product is assisted by the flow of electrical currents.
Bubble Formation on Electrodes Could be Beneficial for Chemical Processes
Written by AZoMDec 11 2020
A new study led by Curtin University has demonstrated that the formation of bubbles on electrodes, which is often considered to be a hindrance, could be advantageous.
Image Credit: Curtin University.
This is because bubbles, or oil droplets, that are deliberately added can speed up processes such as the production of chlorine and the elimination of pollutants like hydrocarbons from contaminated water.
According to Dr Simone Ciampi from Curtin’s School of Molecular Life Sciences, several industrial processes are electrochemical, which implies that the preferred chemical reaction for producing an end product is supported by the flow of electrical currents.
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