It sounds like alchemy: take a clump of white dust, squeeze it in a diamond-studded pressure chamber, then blast it with a laser. Open the chamber and find a new microscopic speck of pure diamond inside.
Materials whose electronic and magnetic properties can be significantly changed by applying electrical inputs form the backbone of all of modern electronics. But achieving the same kind of tunable control over the thermal conductivity of any material has been an elusive quest.
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have shown that single platinum atoms trapped in C12A7 crystals act as a stable and effective catalyst for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes, an essential process in the production of many kinds of fine chemicals. Their approach could become a versatile route for developing other single-atom catalysts for wide-ranging industrial applications.
Researchers led by Prof. Li Xianfeng from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently developed a composite membrane for long-life zinc-based flow batteries. Their study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Cameras, light barriers, and movement sensors have one thing in common: They work with light sensors that are already found in many applications. In future, these sensors might also play an important role in telecommunications, as they enable data transmission via light. At the InnovationLab in Heidelberg, scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) succeeded in making decisive progress: Printable light sensors that can see colors. The results are now reported in Advanced Materials.
Droplet manipulation in materials science can contribute to water collection, medical diagnostics and drug delivery techniques. While structure-based liquid operations are widely used in nature and in bioinspired artificial materials, laboratory strategies depend on fixed structures for unidirectional water movement. In a new study on Science Advances, An Li and a research team in the Institute of Chemistry and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in China proposed to develop a magnetic-actuated robot. The construct had adjustable structures to distribute forces of resistance and determine droplet behavior. The robot could transport, split, release and rotate droplets for universal applications in various fields and rough environments. The new findings offer an efficient strategy for automated droplet manipulation.
An international team of chemists has developed a method for creating an ionic-liquid, porous, tetrahedral coordination cage that holds larger molecules than other porous liquids. In their paper published in the journal Nature Chemistry, the group describes their technique and the types of molecules their liquids were able to hold.
What do dishwashing liquid and nonstick pans have in common? Besides the fact that one is used to clean the other after cooking, both household items derive their usefulness by affecting the physical properties of fluids and the surfaces those fluids come into contact with.
One of the key features in the evolution of more complex organisms is the emergence of allosteric regulation. Allostery is a process by which a protein's activity can be modulated by binding an effector molecule distal to the active site.
Teeth damaged by trauma or disease require treatment to look and feel as good as new, but the restorative materials available to dentists don't always last and can be costly for patients.
Understanding the structure of proteins, the building blocks of life, is essential to obtain insight into their biological function. Due to their minute size and extreme fragility, these structures are enormously difficult to determine. Acquiring data of sufficient resolution requires immense doses of high energy X-ray radiation, which unfortunately irrevocably damages the proteins principally being investigated.
Macrocycles are molecules made of large rings of atoms. Despite being relatively big and flexible, the molecules don't always stay "floppy"—they can actually lock themselves into specific shapes and geometries.
A research team at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology and the KU Leuven Department of Biology showed that, contrary to generally held belief, most components of essential oils could meet the criteria set for drug candidates. Essential oil components are the constituents of essential oils, which are complex mixtures of plant metabolites obtained by dry or steam distillation, or by citrus peel pressing.
Researchers at the University of Oulu's Research Unit of Sustainable Chemistry have developed a new synthetic bioplastic that, unlike traditional carbon-based plastics or other bioplastics, provides protection from the sun's ultraviolet radiation.
Two studies led by faculty in Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies show how aerosol optical tweezing can allow scientists to scrutinize the components of the atmosphere with new precision.
Using a mixture of oil droplets and hydrogel, medical active agents can be not only precisely dosed, but also continuously administered over periods of up to several days. The active agents inside the droplets are released at a constant rate, decreasing the risk of over- or underdosage.
Researchers at the University of Toronto Engineering have developed a tiny "heater"—about the size of a pill—that could allow resource-limited regions around the world to test for infectious diseases without the need for specialized training or costly lab equipment.
Researchers led by Prof. Wang Feng at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have reported that photocatalytic decarboxylation is an efficient alternate pathway for converting biomass-derived fatty acids into alkanes under mild conditions of ambient temperature and pressure. This finding was published in Nature Catalysis on Feb. 19.
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