https://phys.org/chemistry-news/materials-science en-us The latest news on chemistry and materials science A study on the photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of methane to ethylene over carbon-doped ZnO/Au catalysts was published by Prof. Wei Xiao (College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University) and Dr. Yuhao Peng (College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University). https://phys.org/news/2024-03-photocatalytic-nonoxidative-coupling-methane-ethylene.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 16:33:02 EST news628965181 Surface coatings have long been essential in various industries, offering protection and functionality. In recent years, liquid-infused surfaces (LIS) have emerged as a groundbreaking technology, revolutionizing how we approach surface coatings. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-multi-component-liquid-infused-surfaces.html Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 15:40:04 EST news628962002 Although mankind has been using paper for at least 2,000 years, it still presents us with one or two mysteries. For example, it was previously unknown why paper printed on one side using inkjet printing starts to curl up after a few hours to days, even if it was flat after printing and drying. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-mystery-paper.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:46:03 EST news628958762 Scientists led by an Oregon State University chemistry researcher are closing in on a new tool for tackling the global problem of weedkiller-tainted groundwater. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-metal-framework-key-advance-pesticide.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:59:03 EST news628945141 National University of Singapore (NUS) chemists have solved a longstanding challenge in the synthesis of congested C(sp3)-rich molecules by developing a new iron-catalyzed reaction that generates two alkyl-alkyl bonds in crowded environments. The work is published in Nature Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-earth-abundant-iron-catalysis-enables.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:12:39 EST news628942356 Porous solids are abundant in the world. Examples include activated carbon, zeolite, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Solid electrolytes in next-generation batteries have ion migration channels and hence are porous solids in a broad sense. Because the properties of porous solids are dictated by pore size, the way the pores are connected internally, and the chemical nature of the pore walls, achieving high degrees of freedom in designing these properties is crucial. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-3d-covalent-frameworks-tuned-isomers.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 06 Mar 2024 10:08:09 EST news628942087 A living organism's nose is essentially a biological molecule detector that sends neurological signals to the brain, which then decodes a particular scent. Human noses, with six million olfactory receptors, can distinguish more than one trillion scents, while some canine noses possess up to 300 million receptors, which provide enhanced sensitivity in parts per trillion. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-team-small-scale-chemical-nose.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:16:03 EST news628874161 A protocol designed by the University of Cordoba yields a simple and robust evaluation of the efficiency and durability of different commercial non-stick coatings used for food preparation https://phys.org/news/2024-03-technological-pans-teflon-effective-coatings.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:27:41 EST news628856859 Converting carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial point sources to chemicals and fuels utilizing renewable energy can help to tackle the climate crisis. CO2 electrolysis is one promising route. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-strategy-boosts-electrolysis-dilute-carbon.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:27:26 EST news628856844 Chemical reactions are usually accompanied by thermal effects, inevitably resulting in temperature changes in the reaction system. Therefore, temperature is an important parameter in reactions, which can affect chemical thermodynamics and reaction kinetics. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-technique-temperature-catalyst-particle.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:20:03 EST news628856402 A research team consisting of NIMS and the Tokyo Institute of Technology has identified materials capable of catalyzing the conversion of ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen. These catalysts should be essential to the spread of mass-transportation/storage of liquid hydrogen. The research is published in the journal Exploration. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-materials-capable-catalyzing-conversion-ortho.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 05 Mar 2024 09:41:03 EST news628854061 Inspired by amphibians such as the wood frog, investigators designed and synthesized a new type of camouflage skin involving one-dimensional photonic crystal structures assembled in three-dimensional flexible gels. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-amphibian-camouflage-skin.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:34:03 EST news628796042 Levofloxacin is a widely used antibiotic prescribed to treat pneumonia, bacterial rhinosinusitis, bacterial prostatitis, pyelonephritis, urinary tract infections, skin disorders, and skin structure infections, among other conditions. The drug is prevalent in aqueous environments owing to its low degradability in wastewater treatment plants and is therefore considered an emerging pollutant. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-material-degrades-widely-antibiotic-contaminates.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:57:45 EST news628790263 Recently, a research team led by Prof. Ji Liang from Tianjin University, China, systematically introduced the research progress on the preparation of nitrate/nitrite by ammonia electro-oxidation reaction and proposed different strategies to enhance the electrocatalytic performance of the catalysts by modulating their composition and structure to inhibit the side reactions and electrode corrosion in the electrocatalytic process, and finally proposes the opportunities and challenges faced by ammonia electrocatalysis as well as its development trend. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-metal-based-electrocatalysts-ammonia-electro.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 15:49:04 EST news628789742 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found that spiders have a special trick to make their silk strong, by using a natural biocompatible molecular enhancer. By using the same secret the researchers are able to create biomimetic spider-silk fibers in a non-toxic way. The study is published in Advanced Functional Materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-ways-biomimetic-spider-silk.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:45:22 EST news628785921 A Tohoku University research team has discovered that different thermal conductivities exhibited by an amorphous material with the same composition are attributable to the sizes of atomic rings in its atomic structure. This is one of the first studies demonstrating that the structural features of amorphous materials can be correlated with their physical properties. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-team-science-approach-thermal-factors.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:35:03 EST news628785302 In collaboration with researchers in the United States, China, and the Netherlands, Davidson School of Chemical Engineering's Dr. Zhenhua Zeng and Professor Jeffrey Greeley, have advanced catalysis research and catalyst design through their exploration of active sites. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-paradigm-shift-catalyst-site-categorization.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:22:03 EST news628773721 Research on biomolecular self-assembly helps to reveal cell function and disease pathogenesis, and also provides an effective means to construct green ecological material systems with unique functions. Recently, a team led by Prof. Yan Xuehai from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was invited to summarize its progress in peptide self-assembly (PSA) and multi-scale process mechanisms. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-disordered-multiscale-peptides.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:39:10 EST news628771148 Nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) is often used to remove chromium (VI), a heavy metal contaminant, because of its large specific surface area and high reducing activity. However, its effectiveness in removing trace heavy metals appears to be modest and sensitive to environmental pH. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nanocomposites-highly-efficient-hexavalent-chromium.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:53:51 EST news628768428 Bio-inspired materials (BIM) are synthetic materials whose structure and properties are similar to natural materials or living matter. These materials have the potential to advance structural materials, textiles and protective equipment due to their durability and self-healing properties. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-bio-materials-showcase-potential-equipment.html Materials Science Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:02:57 EST news628592572 Until recently, chalcopyrite-based solar cells have achieved a maximum energy conversion efficiency of 23.35%, as reported in 2019 by Solar Frontier, a former Solar Energy company based in Japan. Further boosting this efficiency, however, has so far proved challenging. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-strategy-boost-efficiency-copper-indium.html Materials Science Sat, 02 Mar 2024 08:30:01 EST news628503723 Crown ethers were discovered in 1967. They were then modified by adding a metal-containing unit, creating metallacrown ethers. These metallacrown ethers have been the subject of intensive research. Depending on the molecular makeup of the metallacrown ethers and their resultant architecture, the properties and, therefore, the uses of the metallacrowns can change. They have many different uses currently, and ongoing studies continue to expand their application. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-metallacrown-ether-based-polyoxometalate-opportunities.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:11:37 EST news628517494 A chemical etching method for widening the pores of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could improve various applications of MOFs, including in fuel cells and as catalysts. Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan and East China Normal University in China developed the new method with collaborators elsewhere in Japan, Australia, and China, and their work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-chemical-etching-method-pores-fuel.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:10:01 EST news628512863 A collaboration between research groups from ICIQ demonstrate how the presence of an external magnetic field alters the reaction mechanism of the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-effect-magnetic-fields-electrocatalytic.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 01 Mar 2024 10:54:38 EST news628512876 Adhesives are almost always based on fossil raw materials such as petroleum. Researchers at Fraunhofer have recently developed a process that allows to utilize keratin for this purpose. This highly versatile protein compound can be found, for instance, in chicken feathers. Not only can it be used to manufacture a host of different adhesives for a variety of applications, but the processes and end products are also sustainable and follow the basic principles underlying a bioinspired circular economy. The project, developed together with Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, addresses a billion-dollar market. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-adhesives-feathers.html Biochemistry Materials Science Fri, 01 Mar 2024 10:40:01 EST news628511467 A NIMS research team has developed an AI technique capable of expediting the identification of materials with desirable characteristics. Using this technique, the team was able to discover high-performance water electrolyzer electrode materials free of platinum-group elements—substances previously thought to be indispensable in water electrolysis. These materials may be used to reduce the cost of large-scale production of green hydrogen—a next-generation energy source. The research was published in ACS Central Science. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-ai-technique-green-hydrogen-production.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 01 Mar 2024 07:51:03 EST news628501862 Recycling facilities collect glass and mercury from thrown-away fluorescent bulbs, but discarded lighting could also supply rare-earth metals for reuse. The 17 metals referred to as rare earths aren't all widely available and aren't easily extracted with existing recycling methods. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-bright-idea-recycling-rare-earth.html Materials Science Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:06:03 EST news628441561 Glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP), a strong and durable composite material, is widely used in everything from aircraft parts to windmill blades. Yet the very qualities that make it robust enough to be used in so many different applications make it difficult to dispose of—consequently, most GFRP waste is buried in a landfill once it reaches its end of life. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-recycling-glass-fiber-plastic-silicon.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:45:04 EST news628433102 A research team led by Prof. Zhang Haimin from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted a systematic study on the regulation mechanism of heterostructure bimetallic phosphide electrocatalysts to improve the performance of electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-elucidates-mechanism-electrocatalytic-nitrate-reduction.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:00:01 EST news628429513 In the context of the gradual depletion of fossil fuels and the energy crisis, hydrogen energy has attracted widespread attention due to its ultra-high energy density and eco-friendly properties. However, most of the hydrogen production still relies on fossil fuels, with less than 1 million tons produced as low-emission hydrogen in 2021, which means it has limited benefits in mitigating the energy crisis and environmental degradation. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-layered-hydroxide-based-electrocatalyst.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 29 Feb 2024 11:47:55 EST news628429673