Researchers Revive Ancient Glassmaking Techniques to Create CO2-Trapping Porous Material
Scientists have achieved a breakthrough in producing porous glass materials designed to trap greenhouse gases and hydrogen for clean energy applications. By incorporating sodium and lithium compounds—compounds used in traditional glassmaking for centuries—researchers have made these advanced materials significantly easier to process and shape.
The porous glass structure allows gases to be captured within its microscopic channels, making it useful for carbon capture technologies and hydrogen storage, both critical areas for clean energy development. The modification of these materials with common glassmaking additives addresses a long-standing challenge in scaling up production of porous glass for industrial use.
This approach bridges ancient craftsmanship with modern materials science, potentially accelerating the deployment of high-performance gas-trapping materials in energy and manufacturing sectors.