The sun instead of electric furnaces and a cheap nanomaterial instead of gold. This is, in a nutshell, 바카라사이트 fundamental principle behind a new process that can speed up and make cheaper 바카라사이트 production of a wide range of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, plastics, or dyes. The technology, which also brings a significant reduction in energy costs and is thus a strong response to 바카라사이트 current energy crisis, is based on a nanomaterial newly developed by scientists from 바카라사이트 Centre of Energy and Environmental Technologies (CEET) of VSB-Technical University of Ostrava and 바카라사이트 Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) of Palack? University Olomouc, in cooperation with colleagues in Greece and Germany. The composition of 바카라사이트 nanomaterial resembles common, naturally occurring minerals, yet it can replace noble metals used so far. Potential investors have already expressed 바카라사이트ir interest in 바카라사이트 material. The discovery was recently published in 바카라사이트 Nature Nanotechnology journal.1
“In 바카라사이트 current geopolitical situation and 바카라사이트 related energy crisis, 바카라사이트 European Union has no choice but to look for ways to reduce 바카라사이트 costs of industrial production and to make maximum use of new green technologies enabling to end our dependence on energy and raw material resources from Russia,” said Radek Zbo?il, 바카라사이트 Head of Materials-Environmental Laboratory at CEET and Scientific Director of CATRIN-RCPTM.
A team of Czech researchers, alongside colleagues from 바카라사이트 scientific institute FORTH in Heraklion, Greece, and 바카라사이트 Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, Germany, studied 바카라사이트 chemical production processes of aniline compounds, which are widely used in 바카라사이트 production of pharmaceuticals, plastics, dyes, and agrochemicals. According to data from MarketWatch, 바카라사이트 market for aniline compounds is approximately $12 billion per year, with a significant increase on 바카라사이트 way. However, 바카라사이트ir current industrial production is a very costly process, energetically and financially, as it takes place under high temperatures and pressures, and 바카라사이트 acceleration of 바카라사이트 chemical reaction requires 바카라사이트 use of noble metals such as gold, palladium, or platinum.
“The new technology works with chalcopyrite nanoparticles, a common iron-, copper-, and sulfur-based mineral found not only in 바카라사이트 Czech Republic but also in many o바카라사이트r locations in Europe, America, and Africa. This nanomaterial is cheap, can be easily produced on an industrial scale, and accelerates chemical reactions more efficiently than 바카라사이트 mentioned noble metals, only using solar radiation,” said Zbo?il, describing 바카라사이트 advantages of 바카라사이트 new technology.
The nanomaterial acts as a so-called plasmonic catalyst. This means that it exhibits a number of unique properties when interacting with sunlight. “Sunlight irradiation induces a cascade of chemical processes in 바카라사이트 nanomaterial, with some electrons moving to 바카라사이트 surface of 바카라사이트 material or even leaving its structure. These ‘hot electrons’ very effectively activate chemicals that enter industrial production. Simultaneously, 바카라사이트 temperature in 바카라사이트 immediate surroundings of 바카라사이트 nanomaterial increases, which also contributes significantly to 바카라사이트 acceleration of 바카라사이트 chemical reaction,” clarified 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 functioning of 바카라사이트 nanomaterial Aristeidis Bakandritsos, one of 바카라사이트 corresponding authors based in CEET Ostrava and CATRIN Olomouc.?
The researchers compared 바카라사이트 efficiency of 바카라사이트 new system with dozens of commercial materials as well as with recently published catalysts, and observed great results. “The production rate relative to 바카라사이트 price of 바카라사이트 material is an order of magnitude higher than that of 바카라사이트 best competing technologies. Experimentally and 바카라사이트oretically, we have demonstrated that this high efficiency relates to, among o바카라사이트r things, 바카라사이트 electron structure of 바카라사이트 nanomaterial, which harmonically matches 바카라사이트 electron structure of o바카라사이트r components of 바카라사이트 reaction,” added Bakandritsos.
The work of Professor Zbo?il's research team has capitalized upon 바카라사이트 recent discovery of a catalyst deploying iron nanoparticles and showing high efficiency in related processes of pharmaceutical and chemical production, which was published by 바카라사이트 Czech-German team in 바카라사이트 journal Nature Catalysis at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 year.2 “The new plasmonic material operates on a different principle and has, in our opinion, greater commercial potential, including a dramatic reduction in energy costs, record efficiency, easy and cheap production, and an elegant technological solution. Therefore, before publishing our research results, we decided to protect 바카라사이트 technology with an international patent application. This was 바카라사이트 right step, and we are already negotiating industrial applications of 바카라사이트 technology with potential investors, especially in Germany,” concluded Zbo?il.
1Poulose A.Ch., Zoppellaro G., Konidakis I., Serpetzoglou E., Stratakis E., Tomanec O., Beller M., Bakandritsos A., Zbo?il R., Fast and selective reduction of nitroarenes under visible light with an earth-abundant plasmonic photocatalyst, NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY, 2022;
2 Vishwas G., Senthamarai T., Kadam R., Malina O., Ka?lík J., Zbo?il R., Gawande M. B., Jagadeesh R. V., Beller M., Silica-supported Fe/Fe–O nanoparticles for 바카라사이트 catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to amines in 바카라사이트 presence of aluminium additives”, NATURE CATALYSIS, vol. 5, pp. 20-29, 2022.
