In a discovery that could lead to the development of novel catalysts that do not rely on expensive rare metals, scientists have shown that the optimal binding energy can deviate from traditional calculations, which are based on equilibrium thermodynamics, at high reaction rates. This means that reconsidering the design of catalysts using the new calculations may be necessary to achieve the best rates.
Read moreA research group has developed an efficient process for breaking down any plastic waste to a molecular level. The resulting gases can then be transformed back into new plastics – of the same quality as the original. The new process could transform today's plastic factories into recycling refineries, within the framework of their existing infrastructure.
Read moreThe technique may have a far-reaching implication for many scientific and industrial applications and disciplines that involve particulate matter.
Read moreOrganic chemists have figured out how to synthesize the most common molecule arrangement in medicine, a scientific discovery that could change the way a number of drugs — including one most commonly used to treat ovarian cancer — are produced. Their discovery, published today in the journal Chem, gives drug makers a crucial building block for creating medicines that, so far, are made with complex processes that result in a lot of waste.
Read morePhysicists have developed a fast and sensitive mechanical tool to measure light. The graphene nanomechanical bolometer is the fastest and most sensitive in its class. It is poised to detect nearly every color of light at high speeds and obtain measurements at and far above room-temperature.
Read moreChemists have invented an efficient method for making a synthetic version of the plant compound bilobalide, which is naturally produced by gingko trees. It's a significant feat because bilobalide — and closely related compounds — hold potential commercial value as medicines and 'green' insecticides.
Read moreWhen clouds loft tropical air masses higher in the atmosphere, that air can carry up gases that form into tiny particles, starting a process that may end up brightening lower-level clouds, according to a new study. Clouds alter Earth's radiative balance, and ultimately climate, depending on how bright they are. The new paper describes a process that may occur over 40% of the Earth's surface.
Read moreA team chemically engineered carbon nanotubes to synthesize and trap trions at room temperature. Trions are quasi particles that can potentially carry more information than electrons in applications from bioimaging to chemical sensing and quantum computing. The research makes it possible to manipulate trions and study their fundamental properties in ways that have never been possible before.
Read moreA catalyst's utility is influenced by its surface charge and how that charge is transferred. Until recently, studying charge transfer has relied on complex imaging techniques that are both expensive and time-consuming. Scientists now report an approach for studying charge transfer that does not rely on complicated equipment — simplifying the real-time observation of catalysis.
Read moreScientists have developed a device that can identify a wide range of airborne gases and chemicals instantly.
Read more