From powering batteries with waste to shaping the future of armor, Northwestern researchers have been busy. The Daily compiled a recap of NU’s latest research developments.
Industrial waste product turned into green battery
NU researchers have transformed triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO), an organic industrial waste product, into a storage agent that can power a redox flow battery, according to a news release.
Unlike lithium batteries, redox flow batteries rely on a chemical reaction to store energy, which is not the most efficient method of storage. However, the market for redox flow batteries is expected to increase by 15% to a value of 700 million euros between 2023 and 2030.
TPPO is a waste product of many organic industrial synthesis processes, including in the production of some vitamins. Thousands of tons of TPPO are produced each year.
Using a “one-pot” reaction, scientists can turn TPPO into a usable product that has significant potential to store energy. During testing of the energy-storage component, the battery retained remarkable health without losing substantial capacity over time, according to the news release.
Social and environmental factors drive inequities in cardiovascular maternal health
A new NU study found that social and environmental factors are the driving forces of disparities in cardiovascular health during pregnancy for Black and Hispanic mothers and babies, according to a news release.
Achieving equity in social drivers of health — like education, income and access to healthcare — could almost eliminate the racial and ethnic disparities that lead to higher risks of preterm birth, preeclampsia and cardiovascular issues.
NU scientists also found that individual and neighborhood-level factors entirely determined the incongruencies in cardiovascular health between Hispanic and white participants. Those factors account for 82% of the differences between Black and white participants.
This study adds to the body of research that demonstrates the importance of social and environmental factors on health, including a study that produced similar results for a non-pregnant population, the news release said.
Feinberg Prof. Dr. Natalie Cameron said in the news release that reform is needed to address these disparities in health and healthcare systems and providers must actively screen for social determinants of health.
The future of armor could be in a 2D chainmail-like polymer
A team led by NU researchers developed the first 2D mechanically interlocked material that resembles the interlocking links of chainmail, produced using a new, efficient and scalable polymerization process.
The material has the highest density of mechanical bonds — 100 trillion mechanical bonds per square centimeter — ever achieved.
The polymer has the potential to be used in high-performance, light-weight body armor and for other uses that require lightweight, flexible and tough materials.
The authors of the paper dedicated it to the memory of the late NU chemist Sir Fraser Stoddart, who first introduced the idea of mechanical bonds.
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