artistic rendering of catalytic process (IMAGE)
Caption
Scientists have devised a strategy for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere into valuable carbon nanofibers. The process uses tandem electrocatalytic (blue ring) and thermocatalytic (orange ring) reactions to convert the CO2 (teal and silver molecules) plus water (purple and teal) into "fixed" carbon nanofibers (silver), producing hydrogen gas (H2, purple) as a beneficial byproduct. The carbon nanofibers could be used to strengthen building materials such as cement and lock away carbon for decades.
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(Zhenhua Xie/Brookhaven National Laboratory and Columbia University; Erwei Huang/Brookhaven National Laboratory)
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