Making fuel out of thick air
December 7, 2017 by Cathy Milostan, Kalimah Knight
The researchers gained new insights into the atomic-scale structure of rhodium-based catalysts. Credit: Lawrence F. Allard and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Scientists hoping to develop new energy resources have long pursued the goal of directly converting methane, a simple and abundant chemical found in natural gas, into a usable fuel such as methanol. Until now, scientists have required expensive-to-generate high temperatures to do this.
In a new study, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, Tufts University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory teamed up to explore the potential of rhodium-based catalysts for this conversion under milder conditions. "Our work shows the potential of rhodium to enable this conversion under 'mild conditions' such as lower temperatures," said Argonne X-ray scientist Sungsik Lee. "Converting methane to methanol under mild conditions could have significant applications and present a breakthrough in catalysis."
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