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With the potential to solve the planet's growing carbon emissions, a porous liquid designed by researchers in Ireland can trap huge amounts of gas.

According to Gizmodo, chemical engineers at the Queen's University Belfast invented the liquid with large amounts of empty space in its molecular structure that can trap gases.

"Because of the empty holes we then had in the liquid, we found that it was able to dissolve unusually large amounts of gas. These first experiments are what is needed to understand this new type of material, and the results point to interesting long-term applications which rely on dissolution of gases," said Stuart James of Queen's School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.

Researchers designed the liquid from scratch by shaping the molecules to leave empty space between the molecules in the liquid. They found that the liquid could trap an unusually large amount of gas.

"A few more years' research will be needed, but if we can find applications for these porous liquids they could result in new or improved chemical processes. At the very least, we have managed to demonstrate a very new principle - that by creating holes in liquids we can dramatically increase the amount of gas they can dissolve," Professor James said.