https://phys.org/chemistry-news/materials-science en-us The latest news on chemistry and materials science Steric zippers are a specific type of hydrophobic packing structure that form between two adjacent layers of peptide β-sheets in amyloid and similar fibrils. These structures play a crucial role in the stability and propagation of amyloid fibrils, and can aid in designing new peptide-based materials. However, creating artificial steric zippers is challenging owing to the strong aggregation tendency of β-sheet peptides. This often leads to the formation of gels and fibrils, making it difficult to obtain structures in their crystalline form. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-steric-zipper-interactions-artificial-crystalline.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 14:30:10 EDT news610205406 Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries power smartphones, electric vehicles and storage for solar and wind energy, among other technologies. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-true-lithium-revealed.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 12:33:20 EDT news610198393 The selective extraction of specific gas molecules from gaseous mixtures is a complex chemical challenge, with success offering significant commercial and environmental rewards. Capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial exhaust gases or the atmosphere, for example, could help mitigate climate change. Researchers at Kyoto University, with colleagues in China, report a new and energy efficient option in the journal Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-interactive-networks-capturing-gas-high.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 08:50:51 EDT news610185046 A team led by scientists from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Biological Sciences in collaboration with the French Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) has successfully synthesized a special protein-mimic that can self-assemble into a pore structure. When incorporated into a lipid membrane, the pores permit selective transport of water across the membrane while rejecting salt (ions). https://phys.org/news/2023-08-scientists-class-artificial-channels-efficient.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:51:18 EDT news610181474 AMOLF researcher Christiaan Van Campenhout has found a new, simple method to create a material with a regular pattern of crystalline bands. The pattern formed by the crystals is not a coincidence. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-low-tech-high-tech-materials.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:50:12 EDT news610181406 It created something of a stir back in 2022, when researchers from Aarhus University announced a new and inexpensive way of breaking down polyurethane (PU) plastic into its original components, which can then be recycled into new PU material instead of ending up in landfills or incinerators. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-mattresses-simple-chemistry-recycle-polyurethane.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 01 Aug 2023 16:54:03 EDT news610127641 Since ancient times, gemstones have been mined and traded across the globe, sometimes traveling continents from their origin. Gems are geologically defined as minerals celebrated for beauty, strength, and rarity. Their unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones' past, and with it, historical trade routes. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-gemstones-unique-characteristics-uncover-ancient.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:01 EDT news610098640 For decades, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been captivating researchers because of their wide range of applications: gas absorption, water harvesting, energy storage and desalination. Until now, quickly and inexpensively selecting the top performing MOFs for specific tasks has been challenging. Enter MOFormer, a machine learning model that can achieve higher accuracy on prediction tasks than leading models without explicitly relying on 3D atomic structures. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-metal-organic-frameworks-problems-self-supervised-property.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Jul 2023 16:46:03 EDT news610040762 Automating the construction of three-dimensional structures that are 10s of millimeters in size would revolutionize manufacturing of devices for optical, electrical and biomedical applications. An economical process for constructing such 3D microstructures would be to "program" the constituent parts to spontaneously come together and build the structures themselves. Driving micron to mesoscale components (roughly between 0.1 to 100 millimeters) to line up and dynamically assemble into the desired structures, however, remains an elusive goal. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-stick-to-itiveness-self-organization-sticky-micron-to-mesoscale-3d-1.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:23:31 EDT news610028586 Hydrogen has become the beacon of clean energy owing to its high energy density and carbon-free emissions. Despite these advantages, hydrogen fuel is still far from being commercialized. Liquefying hydrogen requires a huge amount of energy and extremely low temperatures, making its large-scale production and transportation over long distances quite challenging. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-water-durable-perovskite-oxynitride-nickel-catalysts-ammonia.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:42:23 EDT news610022541 Using energy from light to activate natural enzymes can help scientists create new-to-nature enzymatic reactions that support eco-friendly biomanufacturing—the production of fuels, plastics, and valuable chemicals from plants or other biological systems. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-exploring-eco-friendly-enzyme-key-chemical.html Biochemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:39:03 EDT news610022341 New chemistry, new enzymology. With a new method that merges the best of two worlds—the unique and complementary activities of enzymes and small-molecule photochemistry—researchers at UC Santa Barbara have opened the door to new catalytic reactions. Their synergistic method allows for new products and can streamline existing processes, in particular, the synthesis of non-canonical amino acids, which are important for therapeutic purposes. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-unveil-synergistic-method-non-canonical.html Materials Science Sat, 29 Jul 2023 04:20:01 EDT news609819185 Using the full capabilities of the Quantinuum H1-1 quantum computer, researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory not only demonstrated best practices for scientific computing on current quantum systems but also produced an intriguing scientific result. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-quantum-molecular-candidate-efficient-solar.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:55:10 EDT news609771299 Enantioselection with neither chiral catalysis nor chiral ingredients (absolute enantioselection) has been one of the most active topics in biology, but its experimental realizations have been challenging. A team led by researchers at the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) have demonstrated the enantioselectivity of helical supramolecules consisting only of achiral molecules solely by exploiting chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-effect-molecular-chirality-universal-applications.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 28 Jul 2023 10:35:04 EDT news609759301 Introduced in 2004, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are alloys composed of multiple principal elements in nearly equiatomic proportions. Their unique chemical composition results in a high degree of chemical disorder, i.e., entropy, and produces remarkable properties such as high strength, ductility, and strong wear-and-tear resistance even at high temperatures. Scientists have dedicated a significant amount of attention to developing novel HEAs to help improve the performance of various electrocatalyst materials. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-reveal-powerful-platform-high-entropy-alloy.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 28 Jul 2023 08:48:54 EDT news609752931 Imagine a plastic that is harder than common plastics, non-flammable, and even has self-healing properties. But that is not all—it can be produced at room temperature in water, which is very energy-efficient and does not require toxic solvents. Before hardening, you can shape the plastic in any way you want—like chewing gum. By adding water, it can also be converted back to its "chewing gum" form at any time, reshaped and thus recycled as often as desired. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemists-next-generation-self-healing-plastic-biodegradable.html Polymers Materials Science Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:18:03 EDT news609679082 Scientists have developed a novel method for storing biological materials such as RNA and proteins in a solid-state. The storage in solid-state resembles the form of a pill or a tablet, which dissolves in water for on-demand use. The innovation provides a new way to overcome current limitations in the storage and handling of products derived from living cells used for a variety of health care and scientific research purposes. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-breakthrough-solid-state-storage-biological-materials.html Biochemistry Materials Science Wed, 26 Jul 2023 18:15:07 EDT news609614090 How high are concentrations of microplastics in the environment, in our drinking water or in foods? Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have developed an automated analysis method for the identification and quantification of particles. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scientists-automated-analysis-method-identification.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:52:53 EDT news609587569 Researchers at Tohoku University have unraveled the reasons behind the underperformance of a promising field of catalysis known as dual atom catalysts (DACs). Their findings shed light on the challenges faced by DACs in converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable multicarbon products. Results were published in the journal ACS Catalysis on July 10, 2023. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-bottleneck-dual-atom-catalysts-reduction.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:30:47 EDT news609586228 The wings of a butterfly are made of chitin, an organic polymer that is the main component of the shells of arthropods like crustaceans and other insects. As a butterfly emerges from its cocoon in the final stage of metamorphosis, it will slowly unfold its wings into their full grandeur. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-butterfly-flight-electricity.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:44:52 EDT news609522278 A new method for recycling colored plastics has been developed by scientists at Cardiff University. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-method-recycling-plastics-solution-huge.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:41:07 EDT news609522063 Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are now widely used. For use in displays, blue OLEDs are additionally required to supplement the primary colors red and green. Especially in blue OLEDs, impurities give rise to strong electrical losses, which could be partly circumvented by using highly complex and expensive device layouts. A team from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research has now developed a new material concept that potentially allows efficient blue OLEDs with a strongly simplified structure. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-molecular-highway-electrons-light-emitting-diodes.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:37:03 EDT news609507421 As the interfacial water layer hinders the formation of interfacial contacts and intermolecular interactions between the adhesive and the substrate, in almost all cases of underwater adhesion, water molecules typically act as a destroyer, resulting in poor adhesion. Thus, removing interfacial water from the substrate surfaces is essential for the formation of super-strong underwater adhesion. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-water-assisted-strong-underwater-adhesion.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 25 Jul 2023 09:54:03 EDT news609497641 Adding a flux during the synthesis of oxyhydrides is a promising strategy to obtain a pure, homogenous product, reveal scientists from Tokyo Tech. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-high-pressure-flux-method-high-purity-oxyhydrides.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Tue, 25 Jul 2023 01:00:02 EDT news609434869 It's lightweight, low-cost, almost endlessly customizable, and concerningly ubiquitous: For all its benefits, plastic—and plastic waste—is a big problem. Unlike glass, which is infinitely recyclable, plastic recycling is challenging and expensive because of the material's complex molecular structure designed for specific needs. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-advancing-chemical-recycling-plastics-approach.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:28:04 EDT news609416881 The "nothing" (empty space) feature of porous soft materials is foundational to their properties and applications, and has been a focus of study for many years. Now, researchers from Japan have solved a long-standing puzzle of these materials that will speed up research and development, and improve their utility in practical devices. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-insights-advanced-stimuli-responsive-porous-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Fri, 21 Jul 2023 09:26:03 EDT news609150361 A team of chemists has developed an entirely new method for generating critically important fluorochemicals that bypasses the hazardous product hydrogen fluoride (HF) gas. The findings, published in Science, could achieve an immense impact in improving the safety and carbon footprint of a growing global industry. The srticle is titled "Fluorochemicals from fluorspar via a phosphate-enabled mechanochemical process that bypasses HF." https://phys.org/news/2023-07-nature-breakthrough-hazard-free-production-fluorochemicals.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:00:01 EDT news609069016 From life-saving drugs and synthetic polymers to diverse advanced materials, the products containing organic compounds seem endless, thanks in part to regioselectivity, a feature in chemical reactions where a substituent is selectively added to a specific position of an organic compound. This favors the formation of desired products with specific functionalities. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-scope-aza-friedelcrafts-reactions.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:33:39 EDT news609075215 Flexible spheres of the biomolecule chitosan, made from shrimp waste, can be used for catalysts that generate hydrogen gas from borohydride salts. In a paper in Green Chemistry, a research team at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) shows how the spheres can "breathe out" hydrogen bubbles without breaking. This is an important step towards practical and safe hydrogen storage and release units. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-chemists-recycle-shrimp-catalyst-hydrogen.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jul 2023 12:32:12 EDT news609075129 A catalyst using a single or just a few palladium atoms removed 90% of unburned methane from natural gas engine exhaust at low temperatures in a recent study. While more research needs to be done, the advance in single atom catalysis has the potential to lower exhaust emissions of methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases that traps heat at about 25 times the rate of carbon dioxide. https://phys.org/news/2023-07-catalyst-methane-emissions-natural-gas.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:00:01 EDT news609061134