A catalyst made from turmeric and gold needs 100 times less energy to convert ethanol into electricity, claims a team from Clemson Nanomaterials Institute, USA, and the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning in India.
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Curcumin – a substance in turmeric – stabilises the catalysing gold nanoparticles by forming a porous network around them. Without the coating, the gold nanoparticles agglomerate reducing the exposed surface area.
Researchers Professor Apparao M. Rao and Lakshman K. Ventrapragada from Clemson explain, ‘During electrodeposition, the gold ions generated from the gold anode bind to the curcumin molecules in the electrolyte, forming a complex. This complex is then deposited on the cathode, wherein the gold…