Chemical threats & Chemical Weapons of Mass destruction can be neutralised/disarmed

Latest news says, an effective way of neutralising or disarming the chemical weapons of mass destruction. A team from the University of California, San Diego under the leadership of Joseph Wang, have now described how self-propelled micromotors can accelerate the oxidative neutralization of nerve agents by intensively mixing the remediation solution. 

Most of the times, a rapid and efficient conversion of chemical weapons into nontoxic products in remote areas in one of the most difficult task in the disposal of weapons of mass destruction. Eco-friendly processes have been used which replaced chlorine-based methods. However, they generally require high concentrations of peroxide, long reaction times and intensive mechanical mixing-which can be extremely problematic in the elimination of stocks of chemical weapons in remote regions or enemy camps. 

But the method used by the team lead by Joseph Wang was different. They developed a method based on mixing of the remediation solution with self-propelled micromotors. The motors are tiny conical tubes made from a bilayer with polymer on the outside and platinum on the inside. In this method, hydrogen peroxide acts as both oxidizing agent for the chemical weapons and fuel for the micromotors. As the hydrogen peroxide is catalytically decomposed on the inner platinum surface, oxygen bubbles are formed. The bubbles exit the tubes at their rear end, pushing them through the liquid. The movement of the motors through the liquid combined with the gas bubbles provides for efficient mixing of the remediation solution. This significantly increases both the turn over and the speed of the decontamination reaction without requiring concentrations of peroxide. 

Wang's team was able to demonstrate the efficiency of their new method. They were able to break down a variety of organophosphate pesticides with chemical structures similar to those of nerve agents. This method is not just associated to this mode of applications, but we can extent this method to other important applications such as accelerating the chemical reactions in general. This could be useful in applications like microreactors, where mechanical mixing is often difficult. 

This method can be a major breakthrough with a wide variety of applications for saving man kind. 

Note:
Joseph Wang: A professor in the Department of Nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego. His scientific interests are focused on the areas of nanomachines, bioelectrics, bionanotechnology, and electroanalytical chemistry, for which he was awarded several prestigious prizes. Wang is the Editor-in-Chief of Electroanalysis (Wiley-VCH).