Weird Crystal Can Absorb All The Oxygen In A Room -- And Then Release It Later -- Popular Science
This could potentially make fuel cells, space travel, and scuba diving a lot more efficient.
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark say they’ve invented a crystal that pulls oxygen out of the air and even water. Apparently, just a spoonful of the stuff can suck up all the oxygen in a room.
The crystal is a salt made from cobalt*, and it appears to be capable of holding oxygen at a concentration that is 160 times higher than the air we breathe. The paper notes that "an excess" of the substance would bind up to 99 percent of the oxygen in a room.
But what’s more remarkable is that the crystal can later release the oxygen when exposed to heat or low-oxygen conditions. In a press release, study author Christine McKenzie likens it to the hemoglobin in our blood, which uses iron to bind and release oxygen in the human body.
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My Comment: Space travel, underwater use, energy systems/fuel cells, the applications are endless.
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