Nanostructures made of sugar, salt, and alcohol are able to effectively detect, capture, and store carbon dioxide—and are themselves carbon-neutral. Because the porous crystals—known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—are made from all-natural ingredients and are simple to prepare, they have a significant advantage over other MOFs that, while also effective at adsorbing carbon dioxide, are usually prepared from materials derived from crude oil and incorporate toxic heavy metals.
