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SUNDAY, March 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Imagine laying a thin, reusable mat on a polluted river -- and letting the sun clean it up. That’s the promise of a new solar-powered material from Ohio State University scientists. This lightweight invention uses sunlight to break down harmful pollutants in air and water, offering a cleaner and greener way to tackle water contamination.
The material is made from a substance called titanium dioxide, which is already used in things like solar cells and self-cleaning surfaces. “There hasn’t been an easy way to create something like a blanket that you can lay on water and start creating energy,” researcher Pelagia-Irene Gouma , a professor of materials science and engineering at OSU, said in a news release. “But we are the only ones who have made these structures and the only ones to demonstrate that they actually work.
” Using a method called electrospinning, researchers turned the material into thin fibers. Their new structures — called nanomats — produced a chemical reaction that breaks down pollution in the water. Adding copper made this process even more efficient.
The mats are light, float and can be used over and over. Scientists say they could be a great way to clean up dirty lakes and rivers in developing countries where clean drinking water is hard to come by. What's more, researchers said, the material doesn’t create any dangerous byproducts like some other solar systems.
“It’s a safe material, it won’t hurt anything, and it’s as clean as it can be,” Gouma said. The study was published March 24 in the journal Advanced Science and supported by the National Science Foundation. Other authors include Fateh Mikaeili and Mohammad Mahafuzur Rahaman .
“We have the tools to make them in large quantities,” Gouma said. “The only limitation is that it needs someone to take advantage of these abundant resources.” More information The U.
S. Environmental Protection Agency has more on healthy drinking water . SOURCE: Ohio State University, news release, March 24, 2025 This new solar-powered material could help clean polluted water.
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