Breathtaking: New crystal steals oxygen from air

Danish scientists have invented a revolutionary crystalline material that can absorb and store oxygen in high concentrations.

Imagine if you could get rid of the bulky scuba tank while taking a dive. Now, imagine practically any task to which the storage and timely release of oxygen is absolutely essential. And you have the new crystal developed at the University of Southern Denmark

A few microscopic grains are enough for one gulp of air

we can use it to bind, store and transport oxygen

It is also interesting that the material can absorb and release oxygen many times without losing the ability. It is like dipping a sponge in water, squeezing the water out of it and repeating the process

We are now wondering if light can also be used as a trigger for the material to release oxygen – this has prospects in the growing field of artificial photosynthesis

Source

Very cool discovery here, the possibilities are endless. Divers, astronauts, patients who need oxygen... In the future, maybe this will even open up new possibilities for colonizing Mars. On the article page, one person mentioned the possibility of firefighters using it to put out fires by depriving the fire of oxygen.

I love seeing new developments and discoveries like this

a reply to: trollz

I hope nobody thinks it's rock candy.

im sorry, I don't know why, it's late but when I read this I though of that alka seltzer pigeon thing.

Im just picturing the newspaper headline DANISH SUPERVILLAIN STEALS WORLD'S AIR, BUTTER COOKIES

I see what you did there. Clever article title.

Love the idea about future space missions. Not only could they harvest oxygen more efficiently from plants in space, they could help aid in photosynthesis only repeating the cycle. What a wonderful invention!

Its crazy the amount of technological advances that has been coming out in the past 5 years. Maybe there's truth of its exponential nature.

a reply to: trollz

Wonder if it is at all related to the oxygen absorbers used to store food.

Now all they have to do is put up bio habitations and put these crystals in them and grow plants. Can i be the guy who goes into space to inhabit mars. I will pave the way to make mars habitable again. It will be the first galactic rest stop. I can put these crystals all over inside of the habitations. I will make mushroom lookin cabins that dwell in the forest with little walkin paths that lead around a small lake with beaches. I will have a Market place with tables and stands so the locals can trade goods in renisance style. I will have lou wow's on the beaches drinkin martinies and howling at the sky playin music on handmade instruments when guests arrive. Then we can all dress up, go into the woods,hold hands and sacrifice the local animal to be slaughtered for dinner and give thanks for the meals and bounty the land brang to them.

a reply to: trollz

I wonder if this would have any use in fire suppression technology?

Sounds like a gas at any rate!

im wondering could this be used on a nanoscale to maybe get more oxygen to your blood cells???,dont slam me its just a thought.

I want some of them just to mess with.

Once they can implement it into dive tech...err...well I want it now. Just too cool.

Sweet way to bump someone off.

To release the stored oxygen, all that is needed is to heat up the material, or pressure it.

Wonder what are the numbers as far as storing and releasing. Maybe they will patent it so it will become another good idea the mankind can't use or is not cost effective.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: trollz

I wonder if this would have any use in fire suppression technology?

Sounds like a gas at any rate!

Great idea!
Maybe you could have a canister like device with a smoke detector switch built in-and put them in the ceilings of buildings-when a fire is detected,the device sprays out the crystals to deprive the fire of oxygen.

Of course the other side could be a weaponised version-use low level spraying flights over an enemy position/compound,wait for the crystals to steal the oxygen,and when they re release said oxygen-you have an undamaged enemy position,minus the bad guys..

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Concentrated oxygen rich crystals packed around an explosive, in a high pressure casing would be pretty violent as well.

Best not to dwell on the military applications too much though. One would not want to be giving the soulless cretins at DARPA any ideas after all!

Like something out of Atlantis! Nice S&F

a reply to: trollz

With our planet's rate of deforestation, how do we
replace the oxygen?

We are very good at depleting our planet's resources, but we are'nt so gung -ho about restoring the resouces we are depleting.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Actually, I think they have been using this as an oxidizing agent in the mysterious 'super thermite' compound for years now. I was watching a show on TV about 2 years ago where a top female scientist was mixing the ingredients for Sandia Labs. They didn't name the ingredients other then saying the oxidizing agent was a crystalline structure(she held up the beaker with a black cherry colored powered substance in it) and was not available to the public sector.

Maybe this is what they have been using all along. . . and now that it's declassified I wonder what wondrous new ingredient has taken it's place?

Curious. . .

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

You make a very good point.

One of the things I have always wondered is if there is a method of deconstructing Co2 molecules into their carbon, and oxygen components, without using combustion of some sort. If that were possible, a method which simply breaks down the molecule into pure carbon, and oxygen, whether that might be a solution, whether whatever method makes it possible would be viable on a massive scale.

Perhaps these crystals could help with that? If the people behind this crystal can make the stuff release the oxygen within, then it might prove a decent bridging point between separation of carbon from oxygen. Of course, any effort to do this on a massive scale would have to be finely balanced, so as not to starve trees and plants of the carbon dioxide that they need to be able to release oxygen, so its a tricky scale to balance.

Might also be useful in Rocket fuel. Wonder how much energy it has when heat is applied.