If you have ever felt the frustration of trying to re-stick a used sticky note, you will understand the challenge of reversible adhesion. Adhesives that can strongly bond to surfaces, be peeled off, and then reused are in high demand for industrial applications.
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new structure determination method using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy which shows how different parts of complex molecular machinery like enzymes move while they help catalyze reactions. The research is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
MIT chemists have designed a new type of fluorescent molecule that they hope could be used for applications such as generating clearer images of tumors.
Anyone who has experienced freezer burn knows that ice crystals can be a problem at low temperatures. Ice crystals' jagged edges can do more than just ruin the texture of your ice cream, however. At a microscopic level, they can destroy the structure of living cells or biological medicines, like enzymes and antibodies, which nevertheless must be transported at freezing temperatures.
A new metal-organic framework (MOF), APF-80, enables the crystalline sponge method to capture and analyze nucleophilic compounds. Alkaloids, a diverse group of biologically active compounds, usually damage MOF crystals and resist study. By incorporating multiple structural motifs, these guests are encapsulated inside APF-80, which allows high-quality crystallographic data collection. This development opens new possibilities for structural analysis, advancing drug development and biochemistry.
To increase energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of hydrogen fuel production, Fanglin Che, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is leveraging the power and potential of machine learning and computational modeling. The multi-university team she leads has completed a study that was just published in Nature Chemical Engineering. The study utilized artificial intelligence to identify catalysts with the potential to facilitate cleaner and more efficient hydrogen production.
Researchers at the University of Sharjah have patented a technology designed to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial processes before it is released into the atmosphere.
Consumers could soon be using their phones to scan fruit and vegetables for freshness and nutrition with the aid of nanotechnology that measures vitamin C concentration.
New research shows that composite metal foam (CMF) is incredibly resilient at high temperatures, able to withstand repeated heavy loads even at temperatures of 400°C and 600°C. Coupled with the material's high strength-to-weight ratio, the finding suggests that CMF could be used in applications ranging from automobile engines to aerospace components to nuclear power technologies.
To combat water scarcity, producing water from unconventional sources is strategically important. One promising approach is atmospheric water harvesting, a technology proposed in recent years to extract water directly from the air using an emerging class of porous materials—metal–organic frameworks (MOFs).
"Defying climate change calls for new approaches in breaking down greenhouse gases," Professor Jan Paradies of Paderborn University said. The chemist and his team have now moved a step closer to this goal: The scientists have successfully managed to reduce ozone-damaging nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") to its harmless constituent parts using metal-free catalysis at low temperatures. The results are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The solvent dichloromethane, or DCM, is commonly used to strip paint and cut grease. It's also what generations of chemistry students have used to dissolve pain reliever tablets in a lab exercise designed to teach them how to isolate compounds in a mixture.
A new method to produce strong, biodegradable plastic from bamboo is reported in Nature Communications this week. The bioplastic resembles oil-based plastics in strength, shapability, and thermal stability but can biodegrade in soil within 50 days, presenting a new pathway toward sustainable plastic alternatives.
In nature, the behavior of systems—whether large or small—is always governed by a few fundamental principles. For instance, objects fall downward because it minimizes their energy. At the same time, order and disorder are key variables that also shape physical processes. Systems—especially our homes—tend to become increasingly disordered over time. Even at the microscopic level, systems tend to favor increased disorder, a phenomenon known as an increase in so-called entropy.
The development of new compounds and novel ways of storing energy are some of the research fields commentators say could be contenders for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry announced Wednesday.
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