Chemistry

A recent study led by the University of Virginia has challenged the long-held understanding of how materials known as associative polymers function at the molecular level. The study, which has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters, has important implications for the many ways associative polymers are used in everyday life, ranging from engineering

The field of electronics has seen significant advancements in recent years, leading to the creation of smaller and more sophisticated devices such as wearable technologies, biosensors, medical implants, and soft robots. The majority of these technologies rely on stretchy materials with electronic properties. However, many of the flexible materials used in these devices are fragile

Researchers have made significant progress in developing better catalysts to convert methane into a less harmful chemical. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is being released into the atmosphere at an increasing rate due to livestock farming and the melting of permafrost. The transformation of methane into a less harmful and useful chemical could

Researchers worldwide are working diligently to discover ways to combat bacteria that can resist current antibiotics to prevent a global health crisis. One potential target for the development of improved antibiotics is riboswitches, which are small RNA segments that regulate the production of proteins by bacterial cells. Riboswitches are almost exclusively found in bacteria, making

Researchers at North Carolina State University have found a new method of producing carbon dioxide capture filters using 3-D printing. The study, which was published in the journal Gels, suggests that 3-D printing could offer a faster and more versatile method of manufacturing filter designs. The research was conducted by the Wilson College of Textiles,

Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology have been able to confirm experimentally for the first time that bacteria use electrons from hydrogen and can produce more chemical substances than previously known. They have published their research in the journal Green Chemistry. Microbial electrosynthesis is a technology that can bind

The pharmaceutical industry can take years to develop drugs that can treat or cure human diseases. The drug discovery process is carried out by human chemists who rely on their knowledge and experience to select and synthesize the right molecules required to create safe and effective medicines. Scientists often employ a technique called retrosynthesis, which

Proteins are essential biological molecules that perform almost all biochemical tasks in all forms of life. They are also responsible for ultra-fast movements, which are crucial for our understanding of proteins and can help in producing new medical agents. To investigate these dynamic processes more precisely than before, researchers have developed a new algorithm that

Water is an essential compound that covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface. Despite its ubiquitous presence, scientists have identified over seventy anomalous properties of water that are difficult to verify experimentally. One of the reasons is the inability to study water between 160 K and 232 K (-113 °C to -41 °C), a subzero

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have conducted a study that could lead to the development of more powerful and longer-lasting batteries and memory devices. The study has examined the ordering, or pattern formation, of positively charged ions, known as cations, in double perovskite oxides; a type of metal that is

Flinders University researchers have discovered a new low-cost material that can be made into lenses for thermal imaging. The high cost of materials required for thermal and infrared imaging has been a significant limiting factor for many industries, including defense, security and surveillance, medicine, electrical engineering, space exploration, and autonomous vehicle operation. Lower cost alternatives

A group of researchers from the University College London and the University of Hong Kong have developed a highly efficient and selective catalytic material that converts methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into formaldehyde, a valuable chemical. The tungsten trioxide (WO3 catalyst) derived material features a dual active site comprising copper and tungsten atomic species that

Researchers in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, Bioengineering, and Chemistry at the University of Illinois have developed a sustainable way of forming carbon-carbon bonds, which is the foundation of all organic compounds. The researchers have demonstrated a novel metal-catalyst-free approach that could revolutionize organic chemistry. The process could lead to a new era in organic

Researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new strategy for visible-light-induced selective carbon dioxide (CO2) conversion. The researchers have used an artificial photosynthetic chromatophore nanomicelle system based on the structure of natural photosynthetic purple bacteria to create this system. The study is published in the

Scientists have used a high-speed “electron camera” and quantum simulations to capture the photochemical “transition state” of a molecule’s atoms during a ring-opening reaction in α-terpinene. This marks the first time scientists have precisely tracked molecular structure through a photochemical ring-opening reaction, which occurs when light energy is absorbed by a substance’s molecules. The findings,