The Clues for Cleaner Water

Pitt, Drexel, and Brookhaven engineers solve the “catalysis vs corrosion” mystery in electrochemical ozone production

08-May-2024 - Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Drexel University in Philadelphia, along with Brookhaven National Laboratory, are working to solve a multipart mystery to make water disinfection treatments more sustainable. Scalable electrochemical ozone production (EOP) technologies to disinfect ...

Catalytic combo converts CO2 to solid carbon nanofibers

Tandem electrocatalytic-thermocatalytic conversion could help offset emissions of potent greenhouse gas by locking carbon away in a useful material

16-Jan-2024 - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University have developed a way to convert carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas, into carbon nanofibers, materials with a wide range of unique properties and many potential long-term uses. ...

Structure of 'oil-eating' enzyme opens door to bioengineered catalysts

Atomic level details reveal how enzyme selectively breaks hydrocarbon bonds, suggesting bioengineering strategies for making useful chemicals

04-Apr-2023 - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have produced the first atomic-level structure of an enzyme that selectively cuts carbon-hydrogen bonds—the first and most challenging step in turning simple hydrocarbons into more useful chemicals. As described in a ...

X-rays and electrons join forces to map catalytic reactions in real-time

01-Jul-2015 - A new technique pioneered at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals atomic-scale changes during catalytic reactions in real time and under real operating conditions. A team of scientists used a newly developed reaction chamber to combine x-ray absorption ...

Nanocrystal catalyst transforms impure hydrogen into electricity

20-Sep-2013 - The quest to harness hydrogen as the clean-burning fuel of the future demands the perfect catalysts—nanoscale machines that enhance chemical reactions. Scientists must tweak atomic structures to achieve an optimum balance of reactivity, durability, and industrial-scale synthesis. In an emerging ...

New catalyst paves the path for ethanol-powered fuel cells

28-Jan-2009 - A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Delaware and Yeshiva University, has developed a new catalyst that could make ethanol-powered fuel cells feasible. The highly efficient catalyst ...

Experiments Reveal Unexpected Activity of Fuel Cell Catalysts

17-Dec-2007 - Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have unveiled important details about a class of catalysts that could help improve the performance of fuel cells. With the goal of producing "clean" hydrogen for fuel cell reactions in mind, the researchers determined ...

Modeling the Chemical Reactions of Nanoparticles

29-Mar-2006 - As science enters the world of the very small, researchers will be searching for new ways to study nanoparticles and their properties. For the past several years, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have been experimenting with new methods for preparing ...