THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES

This Week’s Top 5 News Articles

💎 New Solar Material Application For Any Surface Allows For Cheaper and Increased Energy Supply

👾 "Living Plastic" Breaks Down on Demand, Offering Eco-Friendly Disposal for Everyday Items

🇬🇧 Nottingham Firm Develops MOF Technology to Soak Up Greenhouse Gases and Combat Climate Change

🧩 Breakthrough Technique Cuts Precious Metal Use in Green Hydrogen by 80%

🏖️ PlantSea’s Seaweed Packaging Tackles Ocean Plastic Crisis

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TOP 5 NEWS ARTICLES

New Solar Material Application For Any Surface Allows For Cheaper and Increased Energy Supply LINK 

• Oxford University scientists have developed an ultra-thin, flexible perovskite material that achieves over 27% solar efficiency, with the potential to exceed 45%, marking a significant advancement in solar technology.

• This versatile material can be applied to various surfaces, including cars, buildings, and mobile phones, enabling solar energy generation beyond traditional silicon-based panels.

• The innovation could lead to a new industry in solar manufacturing, but there is a risk the UK may miss out on leading this global market without proper incentives and support for commercialization.

"Living Plastic" Breaks Down on Demand, Offering Eco-Friendly Disposal for Everyday Items LINK 

• Scientists have developed "living plastic" embedded with bacterial spores that remain dormant until specific environmental conditions trigger them to degrade the plastic.

• The plastic, made from PCL (polycaprolactone) and other materials, can be degraded completely within 6 to 7 days when activated by an enzyme or through composting in soil.

• This innovation offers a potential solution to plastic waste by enabling controlled biodegradation, reducing the environmental impact of traditional plastics.

Nottingham Firm Develops MOF Technology to Soak Up Greenhouse Gases and Combat Climate Change LINK

• Promethean Particles, a climate tech company, has secured £8 million to mass-produce metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which can absorb and store greenhouse gases, potentially revolutionizing carbon capture and storage (CCS).

• MOFs have an extremely large internal surface area, allowing them to act as "mini-sponges" and "mini-sieves" to capture and store large volumes of gases, with the potential to reduce the climate impact of industries like cement and energy production.

• The company aims to drive down the cost of MOFs significantly, making them more accessible for large-scale CCS, which could be a game-changer in the fight against climate change.

Breakthrough Technique Cuts Precious Metal Use in Green Hydrogen by 80% LINK

• Researchers at the University of Twente have developed a method to reduce the use of precious metals like platinum in green hydrogen production by up to five times without sacrificing efficiency.

• The innovative approach uses physical vapor deposition (PVD) and solid-state dewetting to create highly active, durable electrodes that are scalable and chemical-free, aligning with industrial applications.

• The team aims to further reduce precious metal usage to less than 0.5 mg/cm² while maintaining stable and efficient hydrogen production, advancing the sustainability of green hydrogen technology.

PlantSea’s Seaweed Packaging Tackles Ocean Plastic Crisis LINK

• PlantSea, a Welsh start-up, is turning seaweed into biodegradable packaging, offering an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastics, especially in personal care products and packaging.

• The company’s innovative process transforms seaweed into materials like water-soluble film and paper, which can replace traditional plastic packaging and reduce microplastic pollution in the oceans.

• Supported by Welsh and UK institutions, PlantSea aims to scale up production and contribute to global sustainability efforts by providing a viable solution to plastic pollution.

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