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Categories: Chemistry: General, Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published How spheres become worms
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A previously unknown form of hydrogel formation has been elucidated: chemists found unusual interactions between polymers.
Published Chemists tackle the tough challenge of recycling mixed plastics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Polymer chemists have been finding ways to tackle the environmental problems humans have created with plastics waste. Now, a team has come up with fundamental new chemistry that seeds a creative solution to the challenge of recycling mixed-use plastics.
Published New chemistry can extract virgin-grade materials from wind turbine blades in one process
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a chemical process that can disassemble the epoxy composite of wind turbine blades and simultaneously extract intact glass fibers as well as one of the epoxy resin's original building blocks in a high quality. The recovered materials could potentially be used in the production of new blades.
Published Brain circuits for locomotion evolved long before appendages and skeletons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists found parallels between the neural circuitry that guides locomotion in sea slugs and in more complex animals like mammals.
Published CO2 recycling: What is the role of the electrolyte?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be converted into useful hydrocarbons by electrolysis. The design of the electrolysis cell is crucial in this process. The so-called zero-gap cell is particularly suitable for industrial processes. But there are still problems: The cathodes clog up quickly.
Published Jellyfish-like robots could one day clean up the world's oceans
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Roboticists have developed a jellyfish-inspired underwater robot with which they hope one day to collect waste from the bottom of the ocean. The almost noise-free prototype can trap objects underneath its body without physical contact, thereby enabling safe interactions in delicate environments such as coral reefs. Jellyfish-Bot could become an important tool for environmental remediation.
Published Researchers team up with national lab for innovative look at copper reactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are working to get a better look at how peroxides on the surface of copper oxide promote the oxidation of hydrogen but inhibit the oxidation of carbon monoxide, allowing them to steer oxidation reactions.
Published Greener batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our modern rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, are anything but sustainable. One alternative is organic batteries with redox-organic electrode materials (OEMs), which can be synthesized from natural 'green' materials. A team has now introduced a new OEM for aqueous organic high-capacity batteries that can be easily and cheaply recycled.
Published Whales stop by Gold Coast bay for day spa fix with full body scrubs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new Griffith University study has found that humpback whales will use sandy, shallow bay areas to 'roll' around in sandy substrates to remove dead skin cells on their return journeys south to cooler waters. Using data and footage collected from the tags, whales were observed performing full and side rolls in up to 49m water depth on the sea floor that was lined with fine sand or rubble.
Published Synthetic biology meets fashion in engineered silk
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers developed a method to create synthetic spider silk at high yields while retaining strength and toughness using mussel foot proteins.
Published Quantum computer applied to chemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source There are high expectations that quantum computers may deliver revolutionary new possibilities for simulating chemical processes. This could have a major impact on everything from the development of new pharmaceuticals to new materials. Researchers have now used a quantum computer to undertake calculations within a real-life case in chemistry.
Published Nanoparticles provoke immune response against tumors but avoid side effects
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers find that when immunostimulatory drugs called imidazoquinolines are delivered using specialized bottlebrush nanoparticles, the drugs provoke the immune system to attack tumors while eliminating the side effects that occur when the drugs are given on their own.
Published New findings pave the way for stable organic solar cells that may enable cheap and renewable electricity generation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Organic solar cells show great promise for clean energy applications. However, photovoltaic modules made from organic semiconductors do not maintain their efficiency for long enough under sunlight for real world applications. Scientists have now revealed an important reason why organic solar cells rapidly degrade under operation. This new insight will drive the design of more stale materials for organic semiconductor-based photovoltaics, thus enabling cheap and renewable electricity generation.
Published Stronger paper bags, reused repeatedly then recycled for biofuel could be future
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As the world searches for ways to reduce the use of plastics such as single-use plastic bags, a novel study demonstrates a process to make paper bags stronger -- especially when they get wet -- to make them a more viable alternative.
Published Using machine learning to find reliable and low-cost solar cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hybrid perovskites are organic-inorganic molecules that have received a lot of attention over the past 10 years for their potential use in renewable energy. Some are comparable in efficiency to silicon for making solar cells, but they are cheaper to make and lighter, potentially allowing a wide range of applications, including light-emitting devices. However, they tend to degrade way more readily than silicon when exposed to moisture, oxygen, light, heat, and voltage. Researchers used machine learning and high-throughput experiments to identify perovskites with optimal qualities out of the very large field of possible structures.
Published Tiny biobattery with 100-year shelf life runs on bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A tiny biobattery that could still work after 100 years has been developed.
Published Chemists propose ultrathin material for doubling solar cell efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are studying radical new ways to improve solar power and provide more options for the industry to explore. Chemists are proposing to make solar cells using not silicon, but an abundantly available natural material called molybdenum disulfide. Using a creative combination of photoelectrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, the researchers conducted a series of experiments showing that extremely thin films of molybdenum disulfide display unprecedented charge carrier properties that could someday drastically improve solar technologies.
Published Researchers develop carbon-negative concrete
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A viable formula for a carbon-negative, environmentally friendly concrete that is nearly as strong as regular concrete has been developed. In a proof-of-concept work, the researchers infused regular cement with environmentally friendly biochar, a type of charcoal made from organic waste, that had been strengthened beforehand with concrete wastewater. The biochar was able to suck up to 23% of its weight in carbon dioxide from the air while still reaching a strength comparable to ordinary cement. The research could significantly reduce carbon emissions of the concrete industry, which is one of the most energy- and carbon-intensive of all manufacturing industries.
Published Coastal species persist on high seas on floating plastic debris
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The high seas have been colonized by a surprising number of coastal marine invertebrate species, which can now survive and reproduce in the open ocean, contributing strongly to the floating community composition. Researchers found coastal species, representing diverse taxonomic groups and life history traits, in the eastern North Pacific Subtropical Gyre on over 70 percent of the plastic debris they examined. Further, the debris carried more coastal species than open ocean species.
Published New details of Tully monster revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source For more than half a century, the Tully monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium), an enigmatic animal that lived about 300 million years ago, has confounded paleontologists, with its strange anatomy making it difficult to classify. Recently, a group of researchers proposed a hypothesis that Tullimonstrum was a vertebrate similar to cyclostomes (jawless fish like lamprey and hagfish). If it was, then the Tully monster would potentially fill a gap in the evolutionary history of early vertebrates. Studies so far have both supported and rejected this hypothesis. Now, using 3D imaging technology, a team in Japan believes it has found the answer after uncovering detailed characteristics of the Tully monster which strongly suggest that it was not a vertebrate. However, its exact classification and what type of invertebrate it was is still to be decided.