New filtration material could make petroleum refining cheaper, more efficient

A newly synthesized material might provide a dramatically improved method for separating the highestoctane components of gasoline. Measurements at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
have clarified* why. The research team, which included scientists from NIST and several other universities,
has published its findings in the journalScience.*
Created in the laboratory of Jeffrey Long, professor of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, the
material is a metal-organic framework, or MOF, which can be imagined as a sponge with microscopic holes. The
innumerable interior walls of the MOF form triangular channels that selectively trap only the lower-octane
components based on their shape, separating them easily from the higher-octane molecules in a way that could prove
far less expensive than the industry's current method. The Long laboratory and UC Berkeley have applied for a
patent on the MOF, which is known by its chemical formula, Fe2(bdp)3.
High-octane gasolines, the ultra or premium blends at fueling stations, are more expensive than regular unleaded
gasoline due to the difficulty of separating out the right type of molecules from petroleum. Petroleum includes
several slightly different versions of the same molecule that have identical molecular formulae but varying shapescalled isomers. Creating premium fuel requires a refinery to boil the mixture at precise temperatures to separate the
isomers with the most chemical energy. The trouble is, four of these isomers-two of which are high octane, the other
two far lower-have only slightly different boiling points, making the overall process both challenging and costly.
The new MOF, however, could allow refineries to sidestep this problem by essentially trapping the lowest-octane
isomers while letting the others pass through. The lowest-octane isomers are more linear and can nestle closer to the
MOF walls, so when a mixture of isomers passes through the MOF, the less desired isomers stick to its surfacesomewhat akin to the way a wet piece of paper sticks.
Matthew Hudson and his colleagues at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) used neutron powder
diffraction, a technique for determining molecular structure, to explore why the MOF has the right shape to
selectively separate the isomers. Their research was essential to validate the team's model of how the MOF adsorbs
the low-octane isomers.
"It's easier to separate the isomers with higher octane ratings this way rather than with the standard method, making
it more efficient," says Hudson, a postdoctoral fellow at the NCNR. "And based on the lower temperatures needed,
it's also far less energy-intensive, meaning it should be less expensive." Hudson says that while industrial scientists
will need to work out how to apply the discovery in refineries, the new MOF appears to be robust enough in harsh
conditions to be used repeatedly a great many times, potentially reducing the necessary investment by a petroleum
company.

REFERENCE:
http://www.chemistrytimes.com/research/New_filtration_material_could_make_petroleum_refi
ning_cheaper_more_efficient.asp

Organic polymers show sunny potential

A new version of solar cells created by laboratories at Rice and Pennsylvania State universities could open the door
to research on a new class of solar energy devices.
The photovoltaic devices created in a project led by Rice chemical engineer Rafael Verduzco and Penn State chemical
engineer Enrique Gomez are based on block copolymers, self-assembling organic materials that arrange themselves into
distinct layers. They easily outperform other cells with polymer compounds as active elements.
The discovery is detailed online in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.
While commercial, silicon-based solar cells turn about 20 percent of sunlight into electricity and experimental units top 25
percent, there's been an undercurrent of research into polymer-based cells that could greatly reduce the cost of solar
energy, Verduzco said. The Rice/Penn State cells reach about 3 percent efficiency, but that's surprisingly better than other
labs have achieved using polymer compounds.
"You need two components in a solar cell: one to carry (negative) electrons, the other to carry positive charges," Verduzco
said. The imbalance between the two prompted by the input of energy - sunlight - creates useful current.
Since the mid-1980s, researchers have experimented with stacking or mixing polymer components with limited success,
Verduzco said. Later polymer/fullerene mixtures topped 10 percent efficiency, but the fullerenes - in this case, enhanced C60 buckyballs - are difficult to work with, he said.
The Rice lab discovered a block copolymer -- P3HT-b-PFTBT -- that separates into bands that are about 16 nanometers
wide. More interesting to the researchers was the polymers' natural tendency to form bands perpendicular to the glass. The
copolymer was created in the presence of a glass/indium tin oxide (ITO) top layer at a modest 165 degrees Celsius.
With a layer of aluminum on the other side of the device constructed by the Penn State team, the polymer bands stretched
from the top to bottom electrodes and provided a clear path for electrons to flow.
"On paper, block copolymers are excellent candidates for organic solar cells, but no one has been able to get very good
photovoltaic performance using block copolymers," Verduzco said. "We didn't give up on the idea of block copolymers
because there's really only been a handful of these types of solar cells previously tested. We thought getting good
performance using block copolymers was possible if we designed the right materials and fabricated the solar cells under
the right conditions."
Mysteries remain, he said. "It's not clear why the copolymer organizes itself perpendicular to the electrodes," he said. "Our
hypothesis is that both polymers want to be in contact with the ITO-coated glass. We think that forces this orientation,
though we haven't proven it yet."
He said the researchers want to experiment with other block copolymers and learn to control their structures to increase the
solar cell's ability to capture photons and turn them into electricity. Once they have achieved higher performance from the
cells, the team will look at long-term use.
"We'll focus on performance first, because if we can't get it high enough, there's no reason to address some of the other
challenges like stability," Verduzco said. Encapsulating a solar cell to keep air and water from degrading it is easy, he said,
but protecting it from ultraviolet degradation over time is hard. "You have to expose it to sunlight. That you can't avoid.

REFERENCE:
http://www.chemistrytimes.com/research/Organic_polymers_show_sunny_potential.asp