Clean Air Breakthrough: How Copper Helps Remove Harmful Gases

In chip factories, there's a big problem. Two gases, ethyl acetate and ozone, are often found together. Ethyl acetate is in high amounts, while ozone is in low amounts. Getting rid of both at the same time is tough. But now, there's a new way to do it. Scientists used a special material called Cu-BTC MOF. They tweaked it to make it better at removing these gases. They added a bit of acetic acid to make it work even better. The best one they made, called CB-50, could remove 80% of ethyl acetate and 77% of ozone. That's way better than the original Cu-BTC, which only removed 60% of ethyl acetate and 72% of ozone.But it's not just about removing the gases. The CB-50 also turned 90. 3% of ethyl acetate into harmless stuff. That's a big deal because the original Cu-BTC only did 69. 6%. So, how does it work? The scientists found out that the copper in the material has two different forms. One form, Cu(I), helps break down ozone into useful stuff. The other form, Cu(II), grabs onto ethyl acetate and helps turn it into something else. This isn't just good news for Cu-BTC. The scientists tried the same trick on other materials and it worked. This means they can make other materials better at removing gases too. This is a big deal. It shows that we can use special materials to clean up the air. And we don't even need to heat them up. It all happens at room temperature.