‘Stanford develops chiclet-sized device that purifies water using sunlight’
– Sunlight is indeed a powerful stimulant for chemical reactions.
This illustrates one aspect.
(Radiant heat will add to that In other terrestrial settings and conditions especially if VOCs, as well as black soot, are in abundance.)
Researchers at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University have developed a tiny, Chiclet-sized device that uses solar energy to disinfect water.
Unlike boiling a pot of water which requires fuel or purifying water with an ultraviolet wand, which requires charging, the tiny tab needs only sunlight, and can be infinitely reused.
It’s also more efficient. UV rays, commonly used to purify water, carry just 4 percent of the sun’s total energy but the still unnamed device harnesses the the visible spectrum, which contains 50 percent of the sun’s energy.
The device looks like smooth black glass to the naked eye, but when its microscopic layers of “nanoflakes” are exposed to sunlight, they trigger chemical reactions that kill bacteria in water.
The key compound — molybdenum disulfide — is a lubricant found in industrial grease. Sunlight stirs its electrons to move and the holes they leave behind have activated energy. This means they can participate in chemical reactions with oxygen and water to produce hydrogen peroxide, which kills the bacteria. After the bacteria died, the chemicals quickly dissipated, leaving pure water behind.
– scpr.org/news/2016/08/23/63880/stanford-develops-chiclet-sized-device-that-purifiies
– nside the device, molybdenum disulfide is arranged like a maze and topped with a thin layer of copper. Light falling on the walls triggers the formation of hydrogen peroxide and other disinfecting chemicals that kill bacteria. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
scpr.org |
