This battery is powered by carbon dioxide

Oct 4, 2018

German activists of the environmental organisation Greenpeace illuminate the letters CO2 in front of the Klingenberg coal-fired power plant in Berlin November 13, 2008. REUTERS/Johannes Eisele (GERMANY) - BM2E4BD1D3301

An alternative to carbon capture. Image: REUTERS/Johannes Eisele (GERMANY) - BM2E4BD1D3301

Matthew Davis

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This scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image compares the carbon cathode before and after its use in the battery. The inset image shows the cathode in pristine condition (note that the scales in the two images are the same). The outer image shows the same cathode coated in material derived from CO2 produced during the electrochemical reaction. In a real-world situation, this material would have come from CO2 that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere. Image: MIT/courtesy of the researchers

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