“Temperature control of gas-release timing” ... Joint research team including Ewha Womans University develops new-concept “molecular valve”

[Financial News] A new material has been developed that can precisely control when gas is released by opening and closing its entrance in response to temperature changes.
Ewha Womans University announced on the 19th that Professor Moon Hoe-ri’s team in its Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience jointly developed a temperature-responsive “molecular valve” material with Professor Oh Hyun-cheol’s team at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Professor Kim Ji-han’s team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The findings were published in the internationally renowned journal Angewandte Chemie.
Until now, gas-storage materials with tiny, invisible pores had focused solely on how much gas they could hold. As a result, it was difficult to control artificially when trapped gas would be released and at what temperature.
The joint research team solved this problem by attaching molecular chains that move flexibly in response to temperature to the entrances of the pores. At low temperatures, the chains block the entrances and trap the gas; as the temperature rises, they open the entrances like doors, releasing the gas all at once. The team uncovered the principle that simply changing the temperature at which the gas is trapped makes it possible to freely control the temperature at which it is released.
The achievement is expected to significantly lower the cost of processes for separating deuterium, which is essential for semiconductors and displays, nuclear power, nuclear fusion, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Previously, these processes required creating cryogenic conditions close to minus 249 degrees Celsius (24 kelvins), making them costly. With this material, however, gas can be effectively separated even at the relatively higher temperature of around minus 173 degrees Celsius (100 kelvins).
Professor Moon Hoe-ri explained, “This study shows that in porous materials, temperature can precisely control not only ‘what is stored and how much’ but also ‘when it is released.’ The approach could be extended to a variety of gas applications, including hydrogen isotope separation.”  

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter