Showing 20 articles starting at article 601
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry, Geoscience: Geology
Published Ancient plant wax reveals how global warming affects methane in Arctic lakes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new study, researchers examined the waxy coatings of leaves preserved as organic molecules within sediment from the early-to-middle Holocene, a period of intense warming that occurred due to slow changes in Earth's orbit 11,700 to 4,200 years ago. They found that warming potentially could lead to a previously under-appreciated flux in methane emissions from lakes.
Published Making elbow room: Giant molecular rotors operate in solid crystal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Concave, umbrella-like metal complexes provide space to enable the largest molecular rotor operational in the solid-state.
Published Intense lasers shine new light on the electron dynamics of liquids
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The behavior of electrons in liquids is crucial to understanding many chemical processes that occur in our world. Using advanced lasers that operate at the attosecond, a team of international researchers has revealed further insights into how electrons behave in liquids.
Published Researchers dynamically tune friction in graphene
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The friction on a graphene surface can be dynamically tuned using external electric fields, according to researchers.
Published 3D-printed plasmonic plastic enables large-scale optical sensor production
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed plasmonic plastic -- a type of composite material with unique optical properties that can be 3D-printed. This research has now resulted in 3D-printed optical hydrogen sensors that could play an important role in the transition to green energy and industry.
Published Toxic formaldehyde's dual nature to be probed with new chemical tool
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Newly developed ompounds aim to reveal the dual nature of formaldehyde, a chemical that is known to cause cancer but is also believed to play important roles in our biology.
Published Scientists unveil fire-safe fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemical engineers have designed a fuel that ignites only with the application of electric current. Since it doesn't react to flames and cannot start accidental fires during storage or transport, it is a 'safe' liquid fuel.
Published Capturing CO2 with electricity: A microbial enzyme inspires electrochemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Humanity continuously emits greenhouse gases and thereby worsens global warming. Increasing research efforts go into developing strategies to convert these gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), into valuable products. CO2 accumulates dramatically over the years and is chemically very stable, thus challenging to transform. Yet, for billions of years, some microbes have actively captured CO2 using highly efficient enzymes. Scientists have now isolated one of these enzymes. When the enzyme was electronically branched on an electrode, they observed the conversion of CO2 to formate with perfect efficiency. This phenomenon will inspire new CO2-fixation systems because of its remarkable directionality and rates.
Published Accelerating sustainable semiconductors with 'multielement ink'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have demonstrated 'multielement ink' -- the first 'high-entropy' semiconductor that can be processed at low-temperature or room temperature. The new material could enable cost-effective and energy-efficient semiconductor manufacturing.
Published Separating molecules requires lots of energy. This new, heat-resistant membrane could change that
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has created a new, heat-resistant membrane that can withstand harsh environments -- high temperatures, high pressure and complex chemical solvents -- associated with industrial separation processes. It could eventually be used as a less energy intensive alternative to distillation and other industrial processes that separate molecules that ultimately serve as ingredients in medicine, chemicals and other products.
Published Exploring the effect of water on seismic wave attenuation in the upper mantle
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The mechanism facilitating the smooth movement of the oceanic lithosphere over the underlying asthenosphere (upper mantle) remains poorly understood. Recently, researchers from Japan investigated the effect of water on the seismic properties of olivine rocks, finding that water retention in the asthenosphere can induce sharp drops in shear wave velocity. This also explained other seismic changes observed at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. These findings provide invaluable insights into the diverse seismic activities on Earth.
Published How organic solar cells could become significantly more efficient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The sun sends enormous amounts of energy to the earth. Nevertheless, some of it is lost in solar cells. This is an obstacle in the use of organic solar cells, especially for those viable in innovative applications. A key factor in increasing their performance: Improved transport of the solar energy stored within the material. Now a research group has shown that certain organic dyes can help build virtual highways for the energy.
Published New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction, akin to when the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.
Published Crystallization as the driving force
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists have successfully developed nanomaterials using a so-called bottom-up approach. They exploit the fact that crystals often grow in a specific direction during crystallization. These resulting nanostructures, which appear as 'worm-like and decorated rods,' could be used in various technological applications.
Published Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane
(via sciencedaily.com) Copper-based catalysts developed by materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Published Unraveling the mysteries of glassy liquids
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A collaborative study builds a novel theory to explain the puzzling collective behavior of glass-forming liquids at low temperatures, a phenomenon with widespread implications in fields like material science and biology.
Published Scaling up the power of nanotechnology
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created a proof of concept of a nanocapsule -- a microscopic container -- capable of delivering a specific 'payload' to a targeted location. While beyond the scope of this study, the discovery could one day impact how drugs, nutrients and other types of chemical compounds are delivered within humans or plants.
Published New recycling method fights plastic waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Almost 80% of plastic in the waste stream ends up in landfills or accumulates in the environment. Scientists have now developed a technology that converts a conventionally unrecyclable mixture of plastic waste into useful chemicals, presenting a new strategy in the toolkit to combat global plastic waste.
Published One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created nanoribbons made of phosphorus and tiny amounts of arsenic, which they found were able to conduct electricity at temperatures above -140 degrees Celsius, while retaining the highly useful properties of the phosphorus-only ribbons.
Published Making contact: Researchers wire up individual graphene nanoribbons
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a method of 'wiring up' graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices. Using a direct-write scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based process, the nanometer-scale metal contacts were fabricated on individual GNRs and could control the electronic character of the GNRs. The researchers say that this is the first demonstration of making metal contacts to specific GNRs with certainty and that those contacts induce device functionality needed for transistor function.