New Energy Storage Molecule Discovered
Manufacturers of all-electric vehicle have known for some time that for their products to become widely accepted, they must overcome the “range anxiety” of potential owners. Industry-wide, a great deal of research and technology is being focused on improving the batteries that power such vehicles - finding ways to store more energy in them to extend their range, as well as finding new materials that are not as expensive and potentially toxic from which to make them.
The website inhabitat.com reports that now a discovery by a 10-year old girl could help to address the energy storage problem. Fifth grader Clara Lazen created a new molecule, called tetranitratoxycarbon, which has the potential to store large amounts of energy and expel it. While using a
molecular construction set, she re-arranged the molecules in nitroglycerin to create the new substance and submitted it to her science teacher. Recognizing its worth, he submitted pictures of the molecular model to Robert Zoellner, a chemist at Humboldt State University, for analysis.
Dr. Zoellner verified that this totally synthetic molecule was theoretically feasible and co-authored (with Lazen and her teacher, Kenneth Boehr) a paper on the substance and its potential use, publishing it in Computational & Theoretical Chemistry. Creating the actual molecule will require time and effort in a laboratory setting, but the potential benefits could lead to better batteries for everything from cell phones to transportation.
For more information, read the entire article at inhabitat.com/10-year-old-girl-discovers-new-molecule-that-could-help-energy-storage/.