Abstract: The rare gases krypton, xenon, and radon pose both an economic opportunity and a potential environmental hazard. Xenon is used in commercial lighting, medical imaging, and anesthesia, and can sell for $5,000 per kilogram. Radon, by contrast, Is naturally radioactive and the second largest cause of lung cancer, and radioactive xenon, 133Xe, was a major pollutant released In the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster. We describe an organic cage molecule that can capture xenon and radon with unprecedented selectivity, suggesting new technologies for environmental monitoring, removal of pollutants, or the recovery of rare, valuable elements from air.
Revised: January 13, 2015 |
Published: October 31, 2014
Citation
Chen L., P.S. Reiss, S.Y. Chong, D. Holden, K.E. Jelfs, T. Hasell, and M.A. Little, et al. 2014.Separation of rare gases and chiral molecules by selective binding in porous organic cages.Nature Materials 13, no. 10:954-960.PNNL-SA-99518.doi:10.1038/nmat4035