Chemistry

In liquid crystals, molecules automatically arrange themselves in an ordered fashion. Researchers from the University of Luxembourg have discovered a method that allows an anti-ordered state, which will enable novel material properties and potentially new technical applications, such as artificial muscles for soft robotics. They published their findings in the scientific journal Science Advances. The…

What happens if your gas mixing ratios or compositions are off in your experiment? You must start over because now your data is corrupt. One way to remove this variable is to choose the right flow controller to control two or more gases to form a mixture (blended) in a chamber until the specified concentrations…

Being able to watch how molecules bend, stretch, break, or transform, during chemical reactions requires, to an extent, state-of-the-art instruments and techniques that can observe and track, with sub-atomic spatial and few-femtoseconds temporal resolution, all the atoms within a molecule and how they behave during such a change. About 20 years ago, scientists came up…

A new ultra-sensitive heat sensor could have applications in everything from smart bandages to smart buildings, thanks to a new polymer mixture that yields strong signals with just slight temperature differences. Researchers from the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linköping University created the flexible, transparent and printable sensors by utilizing certain thermoelectric materials. “The material…

Japanese scientists have developed a technique to transform a copper-based substance into a material that mimics properties of precious and pricey metals such as gold and silver. The new medium, made of copper nanoparticles (very small copper-based structures) has promising applications in the production of electronic devices that would otherwise depend on expensive gold and…

A chemical reaction transforms the molecules that make up matter. To influence chemical reactions, chemists typically act on the molecules themselves, rather than the space in which the reaction takes places. However, researchers at the University of Strasbourg have shown that chemical reactions can indeed be influenced simply by conducting them between two appropriately spaced…

A new “oil-and-vinegar” approach to self-assembling materials with unusual architectures comprised of spherical nanoparticles could be useful for a number of applications including optics, plasmonics, electronics and multi-stage chemical catalysis. A research team from Duke University has developed a new technique that takes advantage of the layers formed by liquids that refuse to mix together,…

To assess differences and trends in personal chemical exposure, Oregon State University researchers deployed chemical-sampling wristbands to individuals on three continents. After they analyzed the wristbands that were returned, they found that no two wristbands had identical chemical detections. But the same 14 chemicals were detected in more than 50 percent of the wristbands returned…

The volume of biopharmaceuticals reaching the clinic continues to increase, and these products now account for an estimated 40 percent of the overall pharmaceutical pipeline, according to a recent report from industry consultants BioPlan Associates. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are currently amongst the largest of the different classes of biotherapeutic products, with their success driven in…

Supported single metal atoms have attracted broad interest for their demonstrated high efficiency in single metal catalysis. The preparation of such catalysts, however, remains challenging as the neutral metal atoms have a strong tendency to agglomerate to metal particles in typical preparations. Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy…

Researchers may have found a way to use nitrogen to boost a family of useful molecules called alpha-aminoketones. A research group from Rice University has developed a one-step technique that adds nitrogen to compounds to simplify the synthesis of valuable precursors for a number of products, including drugs, pesticides and fertilizers. Ketones, which represent important…

Adding fluoride to water has been common practice in a number of countries, including the US, Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, India and Vietnam. In low concentrations (below 1.5 mg/L) can help prevent tooth decay and even strengthen bones, but going above that can have the opposite effect, causing serious dental and bone disease, especially in children…

One research team is trying to tackle the growing problem of plastic waste ending up in the ocean. Purdue University researchers have created a new chemical conversion technique that could turn 90 percent of polyolefin waste, a common form of plastic, into more beneficial products like clean fuels, pure polymers, naphtha and monomers. “Our strategy…

Researchers from RMIT University in Australia have found a new technique to harness sunlight and drive chemical reactions, which could yield more sustainable chemical manufacturing processes. The new method involves using nano-enhanced palladium to capture approximately 99 percent of light and convert it to power chemical reactions, reducing both the energy required and the environmental…

Many wearable biosensors, data transmitters and similar tech advances for personalized health monitoring have now been “creatively miniaturized,” says materials chemist Trisha Andrew at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but they require a lot of energy, and power sources can be bulky and heavy. Now she and her Ph.D. student Linden Allison report that they…

Researchers at the Center for Correlated Electron Systems, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea, in collaboration with Sogang University and Seoul National University, reported the first experimental observation of a XY-type antiferromagnetic material, whose magnetic order becomes unstable when it is reduced to one-atom thickness. Published in Nature Communications, these findings…

A new high performance catalyst could help more efficiently convert methane to formaldehyde, a beneficial resource used as a raw material for bactericides, preservatives and functional polymers. Researchers from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have developed a methane oxidase catalyst that consists of nanomaterials that enable a stable structure and high…

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have developed and analyzed a novel catalyst for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, which is crucial for generating new raw materials that replace the classic non-renewable ones used for making many plastics. It should be no surprise to most readers that finding an alternative to non-renewable natural…