Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National
Laboratory have developed a new oxygen “sponge” that can easily absorb or shed
oxygen atoms at low temperatures. Materials with these novel characteristics
would be useful in devices such as rechargeable batteries, sensors, gas
converters and fuel cells.
Materials containing atoms that can switch back and forth
between multiple oxidation states are technologically important but very rare
in nature, says ORNL’s Ho Nyung Lee, who led the international research team
that published its findings in Nature Materials.