Indian scientists develop "Black gold" a wonderful material. What is black gold ?

 Indian scientists develop "Black gold" a wonderful material. What is black gold ?

Scientists at the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) used gold nanoparticles and by rearranging size and gaps between them developed a new material which has unique properties.

Such as capacity to absorb light and carbon dioxide (CO2). Gold doesn't have these properties, therefore ‘black gold’ is being called a new material. In appearance it is black, hence the name ‘black gold’

They have not doped gold nanoparticles with any other material or added other materials.

They varied inter-particle distance between gold nanoparticles using a cycle-by-cycle growth approach by optimizing the nucleation growth step, using dendritic fibrous nanosilica. Which fibers were used as the deposition site for gold nanoparticles.

Black Gold can act as Artificial Tree :-

Black gold could also act as a catalyst and could convert CO2 into methane (CH4) at atmospheric pressure and temperature using solar energy.

If we develop an artificial tree with leaves made out of black gold it can perform artificial photosynthesis, capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into METHANE (CH4) fule, which can be used to run our cars.

Over the next few years they may be able to convert CO2 to fule using sunlight at atmospheric condition, at a commercial viable scale and CO2 may them become our main source of clean energy.

Among fissile fuels, currently methane seems to be the one that will be exploited more and more in the near future thanks to the fact that it is relatively ‘Clean’ 

It is the hydrocarbon that released the smallest amount of carbon and it is for this reason that it is less harmful for the  environment. It's CO2 emissions are 25% lower than petrol, 16% lower than Liquid Propane Gas (LPG), 30% lower than diesel and 75% lower than carbon.

It's capacity to form ozone is 80% less than petrol and 50% less than diesel and Liquid Propane Gas. Moreover, the combustion emission do not contain carbonaceous residues, benzene and microscopic dusts (PM10), contrary to petrol and diesel oil.

 

Researchers believe that the black black gold ability to harvest solar energy can be used for portable nano-heaters which can convert seawater into  drinking water via steam generation under atmospheric reaction conditions, addressing one of India's biggest Concerns.