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Categories: Chemistry: General, Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Published Potential solvents identified for building on moon and Mars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible. Using machine learning and computational modeling, researchers have found about half a dozen good candidates for solvents that can extract materials on the moon and Mars usable in 3D printing. The powerful solvents, called ionic liquids, are salts that are in a liquid state.
Published Generating stable qubits at room temperature
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Quantum bits, or qubits, can revolutionize computing and sensing systems. However, cryogenic temperatures are required to ensure the stability of qubits. In a groundbreaking study, researchers observed stable molecular qubits of four electron spins at room temperature for the first time by suppressing the mobility of a dye molecule within a metal-organic framework. Their innovative molecular design opens doors to materials that could drive the development of quantum technologies capable of functioning in real-world conditions.
Published Is there a common link between the physical and social worlds? Two brothers think so
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A Rutgers biophysical chemist and his brother, a political scientist on the West Coast, have joined intellectual forces, realizing a long-standing dream of co-authoring an article that bridges their disciplines involving cells and society. In their paper, they have proposed that powerful parallels exist between the microscopic, natural world of cells and molecules and the human-forged realm of organizations and political systems.
Published Making an important industrial synthesis more environmentally friendly
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have resolved a problem that has limited the environmental sustainability of peracid synthesis. By judicious choice of the solvent and light input, approximately room-temperature autoxidation of aldehydes proceeds in a manner that results in industrially useful peracids or carboxylic acids. This work is an important advance in green chemistry that will help minimize the carbon footprint of the chemical industry.
Published Researchers step closer to mimicking nature's mastery of chemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In nature, organic molecules are either left- or right-handed, but synthesizing molecules with a specific 'handedness' in a lab is hard to do. Make a drug or enzyme with the wrong 'handedness,' and it just won't work. Now chemists are getting closer to mimicking nature's chemical efficiency through computational modeling and physical experimentation.
Published Dry-cleaning fluid becomes a synthetic chemist's treasure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The widely used dry-cleaning and degreasing solvent perc can be converted to useful chemicals by a new clean, safe and inexpensive procedure. The discovery using on-demand UV activation may open the path to upcycling perc and thus contribute to a more sustainable society.
Published The reaction mechanism for catalytic ammonia production experimentally determined
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have now been able to study the surface of iron and ruthenium catalysts when ammonia is formed from nitrogen and hydrogen. A better knowledge of the catalytic process and the possibility of finding even more efficient materials opens the door for a green transition in the currently very CO2-intensive chemical industry.
Published Epic of a molecular ion: With eyes of electrons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have achieved real-time capture of the ionization process and subsequent structural changes in gas-phase molecules through an enhanced mega-electronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED) technique, enabling observation of faster and finer movements of ions.
Published Researchers developing AI to make the internet more accessible
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In an effort to make the internet more accessible for people with disabilities, researchers have begun developing an artificial intelligence agent that could complete complex tasks on any website using simple language commands.
Published Inspired by Greek mythology, this potential drug shows promise for vanquishing Parkinson's RNA in early studies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new discovery takes its inspiration from Greek mythology. The compound is described as a chimera, because it battles a toxic cause of Parkinson's in two ways.
Published The first domino falls for redox reactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Transmitting an effect known as a domino reaction using redox chemistry has been achieved for the first time.
Published Chemists develop new approach to inserting single carbon atoms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Chemists have presented a new approach in which a single carbon atom is inserted into the carbon skeleton of cyclic compounds in order to adjust the ring size. The method could be relevant, for example, for the production of active ingredients in new pharmaceutical products.
Published Solid state battery design charges in minutes, lasts for thousands of cycles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new lithium metal battery that can be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times -- more than any other pouch battery cell -- and can be recharged in a matter of minutes. The research not only describes a new way to make solid state batteries with a lithium metal anode but also offers new understanding into the materials used for these potentially revolutionary batteries.
Published New soft robots roll like tires, spin like tops and orbit like moons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point. The device, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robotic devices that can be used to navigate and map unknown environments.
Published Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans and other creatures, with unknown potential health and ecosystem effects. One big focus of research: bottled water, which has been shown to contain tens of thousands of identifiable fragments in each container. Now, using newly refined technology, researchers have entered a whole new plastic world: the poorly known realm of nanoplastics, the spawn of microplastics that have broken down even further. For the first time, they counted and identified these minute particles in bottled water. They found that on average, a liter contained some 240,000 detectable plastic fragments -- 10 to 100 times greater than previous estimates, which were based mainly on larger sizes.
Published Accounting for plastic persistence can minimize environmental impacts
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a sustainability metric for the ecological design of plastic products that have low persistence in the environment. Adhering to this metric could provide substantial environmental and societal benefits, according to a new study.
Published A novel strategy for extracting white mycelial pulp from fruiting mushroom bodies
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mycelial fibers, the fibrous cells found in fruiting mushroom bodies, have gained momentum as a sustainable material for making faux-leather and packaging owing to their excellent formability. Recently, a team of researchers has found a simple way of obtaining mycelial fibers, called 'mycelial pulp,' from fruiting mushroom bodies and bleaching them using sunlight while keeping their mycelial structures intact.
Published Engineers invent octopus-inspired technology that can deceive and signal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With a split-second muscle contraction, the greater blue-ringed octopus can change the size and color of the namesake patterns on its skin for purposes of deception, camouflage and signaling. Researchers have drawn inspiration from this natural wonder to develop a technological platform with similar capabilities for use in a variety of fields, including the military, medicine, robotics and sustainable energy.
Published High-performance stretchable solar cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have succeeded in implementing a stretchable organic solar cell by applying a newly developed polymer material that demonstrated the world's highest photovoltaic conversion efficiency (19%) while functioning even when stretched for more than 40% of its original state. This new conductive polymer has high photovoltaic properties that can be stretched like rubber. The newly developed polymer is expected to play a role as a power source for next-generation wearable electronic devices.
Published Researchers 3D print components for a portable mass spectrometer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers 3D printed a mini quadrupole mass filter, a key component of a mass spectrometer, that performs as well as some commercial-grade devices. It can be fabricated in hours for a few dollars and is one step toward producing a portable mass spectrometer that could enable effective medical diagnoses or chemical analyses in remote areas.