Scientists at Nanyang Technological University have found that by turning titanium dioxide (TiO2)crystals into nano-fibers, you can then use those fibers to make flexible filter membranes. Those membranes can be combined with other materials, like copper, zinc, or tin, depending on what you want the final membrane to do. So, what would you use such a membrane for? That’s where things get really interesting, and why some are calling this a ‘wonder material’. Here’s a short list of some of the potential applications:
- concurrently produce both hydrogen and clean water when exposed to sunlight
- be made into a low-cost flexible filtration membrane that is anti-fouling
- desalinate water as a high flux forward osmosis membrane
- recover energy from waste desalination brine and waste water
- be made into a low-cost flexible solar cell to generate electricity
- doubles battery life when used as anode in lithium ion battery
- kill harmful microbial, leading to new antibacterial bandages
The potential is amazing…read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-03-scientist-multi-purpose-material-tackle-environmental.html#jCp