October 4, 2014 – A crystal that binds and stores high concentrations of oxygen has been synthesized by researchers at the University of Southern Denmark. A bucketful can suck all the oxygen out of a room. So if you like spy stories you could imagine turning this into a super killing machine. Introduce it into a conference where your enemies have gathered and watch them succumb as they run out of oxygen.
But the crystal not only absorbs the gas, it also releases it. It is stable enough to do this repeatedly without losing integrity. The crystal combines cobalt bound to a designed organic molecule. When pink it is oxygen depleted. When black it is oxygen saturated (see the two images below).
How does it release the gas? When the material is gently heated or subjected to low oxygen pressures the gas is released. It absorbs oxygen at variable rates depending on environmental conditions. This can seconds or days.
So what could the crystal be used for?
- Artificial hemoglobin as an oxygen transport mechanism in blood.
- Artificial photosynthesis.
- A substitute for an oxygen tank for medical patients.
- In fuel cell technology.
- To replace scuba tanks.
- For use in space.
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