Designed molecules selectively remove unwanted ions from complex solutions for energy production
Tuesday, May 2, 2017 - 07:02
in Physics & Chemistry
Nuclear energy accounts for some 19 percent of the U.S. electrical energy supply. The waste contains materials that are difficult to remove. Scientists developed four classes of molecules, called chelators, to selectively capture specific ions. These molecules use a combination of chemical bonding, attractions between opposite charges, and/or wrapping the ions in complementary binding pockets.