Cyclodextrin - a Carbon-Capture Molecule 照片檔

A ball and stick model of a molecule of gamma-Cyclodextrin. Composed of eight glucose sugar molecules bound into a ring structure, cyclodextrins are easily made from simple starch. The large ring can bind smaller molecules within it, making Cylodextrins useful in drug-delivery applications and also to clean up toxins (such as heavy metals) in the environment. Currently, gamma-Cyclodextrin is being considered as a structure which can bind to and hold carbon dioxide gas for carbon capture and storage as a way to manage the effect of excess carbon dioxide on the climate.