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Aug 3, 2016

Making nail polish while powering fuel cells

Posted by in category: energy

Hydrogen is widely regarded as a promising and clean alternative energy source. The traditional source of hydrogen (H2) for fuel cell use is water, which is split into H2 and oxygen (O2). But O2 is a low-value product.

So, this week in ACS Central Science (“Electrochemical Partial Reforming of Ethanol into Ethyl Acetate Using Ultrathin Co3O4 Nanosheets as a Highly Selective Anode Catalyst”), researchers report a new approach and a new catalyst that can produce not just hydrogen but also valuable chemicals, including the most common ingredient in nail polish.

making chemical ethyl acetate while generating H2 gas

Researchers have found a way to make the valuable chemical ethyl acetate while generating H2 gas to power fuel cells. (Image: Nanfeng Zheng)

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