Molecular footballs could revolutionize your next World Cup experience

A new way to assemble individual molecules could revolutionize the creation of novel materials with numerous potential applications, including emerging technologies such as flexible TVs. The results of this ground-breaking research are published on 22 June in the prestigious journal Nature Chemistry.

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Evolution of a bimetallic nanocatalyst

Atomic-scale snapshots of a bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst in action have provided insights that could help improve the industrial process by which fuels and chemicals are synthesized from natural gas, coal or plant biomass. A multi-national lab collaboration led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has taken the most detailed look ever at the evolution of platinum/cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles during reactions in oxygen and hydrogen gases. 

 

TEM image of platinum/cobalt bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst in action shows that during the oxidation reaction, cobalt atoms migrate to the surface of the particle, forming a cobalt oxide epitaxial film, like water on oil.

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New fluorescent hybrid material changes color according to direction of light

The UPV/EHU's Molecular Spectroscopy Group, in collaboration with the Institute of Catalysis and Petroleum Chemistry of the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), has developed a highly fluorescent hybrid material that changes colour depending on the polarisation of the light that it is illuminated by. 

The research has been published in ACS Photonics, the new journal devoted exclusively to Photonics published by the American Chemical Society.

The aim with respect to hybrid materials with one organic component and another inorganic one is to combine the best attributes of each one into a single system. 

Labs across the world are working to develop new hybrid materials for technological applications in nanotechnologies, in particular, and these materials are already being used in lightweight materials for cars, sports equipment, in biomimetic materials, like prostheses, etc.

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Left: CIE system or chromaticity diagram to characterise the colours.
Above right: green emission obtained using linearly polarised light along the channels. Below right: blue emission obtained using light linearly perpendicular to the channels. NB: the arrows indicate the direction in the polarisation of the light used.

Steering Chemical Reactions with Laser Pulses

Usually, chemical reactions just take their course, much like a ball rolling downhill. 

However, it is also possible to deliberately control chemical reactions: at the Vienna University of Technology, molecules are hit with femtosecond laser pulses, changing the distribution of electrons in the molecule.  

This interaction is so short that at first it does not have any discernable influence on the atomic nuclei, which have much more mass than the electrons. However, the disturbance of the electron distribution can still initiate chemical processes and eventually separate the nuclei from each other. 

The properties of the laser pulse determine which chemical final products are created.

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Short laser pulses interacting with ethylene

 

PNNL: News - Halving hydrogen

PNNL: News - Halving hydrogen

Like a hungry diner ripping open a dinner roll, a fuel cell catalyst that converts hydrogen into electricity must tear open a hydrogen molecule.

Now researchers have captured a view of such a catalyst holding onto the two halves of its hydrogen feast. The view confirms previous hypotheses and provides insight into how to make the catalyst work better for alternative energy uses.

This study is the first time scientists have shown precisely where the hydrogen halves end up in the structure of a molecular catalyst that breaks down hydrogen, the team reported online April 22 in Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 

The design of this catalyst was inspired by the innards of a natural protein called a hydrogenase enzyme.

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Neutron crystallography shows this iron catalyst gripping two hydrogen atoms (red spheres). This arrangement allows an unusual dihydrogen bond to form between the hydrogen atoms (red dots).

Inspired by a music box, Stanford bioengineer creates $5 chemistry set

When Manu Prakash was young he had a thing about flames. He's not encouraging all kids to follow his fiery lead – he did burn one hand pretty badly – but he thinks kids should explore more when it comes to learning about science. That's the idea behind his programmable, toy-like device that won a competition to "reimagine the chemistry set for the 21st century."

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Fighting cancer with lasers and nanoballoons that pop

Chemotherapeutic drugs excel at fighting cancer, but they’re not so efficient at getting where they need to go.

They often interact with blood, bone marrow and other healthy bodily systems. This dilutes the drugs and causes unwanted side effects.

Now, researchers are developing a better delivery method by encapsulating the drugs in nanoballoons – which are tiny modified liposomes that, upon being struck by a red laser, pop open and deliver concentrated doses of medicine.

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The image shows a nanoballoon before (left) and after (right) being hit by a red laser. The laser causes the balloon to pop open and release the anti-cancer drugs directly at a tumor. Credit: Jonathan Lovell

Making the Most of Carbon Nanotube-Liquid Crystal Combos

Dispersions of carbon nanotubes with liquid crystals have attracted much interest because they pave the way for creating new materials with added functionalities. 

Now, a study published in EPJ E by Marina Yakemseva and colleagues at the Nanomaterials Research Institute in Ivanovo, Russia, focuses on the influence of temperature and nanotube concentration on the physical properties of such combined materials. 

These findings could have implications for optimising these combinations for non-display applications, such as sensors or externally stimulated switches, and novel materials that are responsive to electric, magnetic, mechanical or even optical fields.

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Dispersed multi-wall carbon nanotubes on a glass surface. Credit: Yakemseva et al.

How Electrodes Charge and Discharge

The electrochemical reactions inside the porous electrodes of batteries and fuel cells have been described by theorists, but never measured directly. 

Now, a team at MIT has figured out a way to measure the fundamental charge transfer rate — finding some significant surprises.

The study found that the Butler-Volmer (BV) equation, usually used to describe reaction rates in electrodes, is inaccurate, especially at higher voltage levels. 

Instead, a different approach, called Marcus-Hush-Chidsey charge-transfer theory, provides more realistic results — revealing that the limiting step of these reactions is not what had been thought.

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This illustration shows a battery electrode made of lithium iron phosphate (left side of image) coated with carbon, and in contact with an electrolyte material. As the battery is discharged, lithium ions (shown in purple) jump across the coating and insert themselves into the crystal structure, while electrons (shown as circles with minus signs) in the carbon-coating tunnel into the material and attach to iron ions (shown in red). (Phosphate groups are left out of this diagram for clarity.) Illustration courtesy of Peng Bai and Martin Bazant

Energy Breakthrough Uses Sun to Create Solar Energy Materials

In a recent advance in solar energy, researchers have discovered a way to tap the sun not only as a source of power, but also to directly produce the solar energy materials that make this possible.

 

This breakthrough by chemical engineers at Oregon State University could soon reduce the cost of solar energy, speed production processes, use environmentally benign materials, and make the sun almost a “one-stop shop” that produces both the materials for solar devices and the eternal energy to power them.

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Revolutionary Solar Cells Double as Lasers

Revolutionary solar cells double as lasers

Commercial silicon-based solar cells - such as those seen on the roofs of houses across the country - operate at about 20% efficiency for converting the Sun’s rays into electrical energy. It’s taken over 20 years to achieve that rate of efficiency.

A relatively new type of solar cell based on a perovskite material - named for scientist Lev Perovski, who first discovered materials with this structure in the Ural Mountains in the 19th century - was recently pioneered by an Oxford research team led by Professor Henry Snaith. 

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Robotic Arm Probes Chemistry of 3-D Objects by Mass Spectrometry

Robotic Arm Probes Chemistry of 3-D Objects by Mass Spectrometry

When life on Earth was first getting started, simple molecules bonded together into the precursors of modern genetic material. 

A catalyst would have been needed, but enzymes had not yet evolved. 

One theory is that the catalytic minerals on a meteorite’s surface could have jump-started life’s first chemical reactions. 

But scientists need a way to directly analyze these rough, irregularly shaped surfaces. 

A new robotic system at Georgia Tech’s Center for Chemical Evolution could soon let scientists better simulate and analyze the chemical reactions of early Earth on the surface of real rocks to further test this theory.

Nanotube Coating Helps Shrink Mass Spectrometers

Nanotube coating helps shrink mass spectrometers

Nanotechnology is advancing tools likened to Star Trek's "tricorder" that perform on-the-spot chemical analysis for a range of applications including medical testing, explosives detection and food safety.

Researchers found that when paper used to collect a sample was coated with carbon nanotubes, the voltage required was 1,000 times reduced, the signal was sharpened and the equipment was able to capture far more delicate molecules.

A carbon nanotube-coated paper triangle placed on an ionization source charged by a small battery is held in front of a mass spectrometer. Researchers at Purdue University and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras studied the use of carbon nanotubes to advance ambient ionization techniques. (Purdue University photo/Courtesy of Thalappil Pradeep)

WORLD WATER DAY

Water and energy are closely interlinked and interdependent. Energy generation and transmission requires utilization of water resources, particularly for hydroelectric, nuclear, and thermal energy sources. Conversely, about 8% of the global energy generation is used for pumping, treating and transporting water to various consumers.

Credit: http://www.unwater.org

New Technique Makes LEDs Brighter, More Resilient

New Technique Makes LEDs Brighter, More Resilient

 “By coating polar GaN with a self-assembling layer of phosphonic groups, we were able to increase luminescence without increasing energy input,” says Stewart Wilkins, a Ph.D. student at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the work. “The phosphonic groups also improve stability, making the GaN less likely to degrade in solution.

Scientists open a new window into quantum physics with superconductivity in LEDs

A team of University of Toronto physicists led by Alex Hayat has proposed a novel and efficient way to leverage the strange quantum physics phenomenon known as entanglement. 

The approach would involve combining light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a superconductor to generate entangled photons and could open up a rich spectrum of new physics as well as devices for quantum technologies, including quantum computers and quantum communication. 

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Toward ‘Vanishing’ Electronics and Unlocking Nanomaterials’ Power Potential

Brain sensors and electronic tags that dissolve. Boosting the potential of renewable energy sources. These are examples of the latest research from two pioneering scientists selected as this year’s Kavli lecturers at the 247^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society.

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Biodegradable materials from Rogers’ lab could one day transform electronics for consumer and medical devices, as illustrated here in a dissolvable RFID tag prototype.

Credit: John Rogers

High-tech Materials Purify Water with Sunlight

Sunlight plus a common titanium pigment might be the secret recipe for ridding pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other potentially harmful pollutants from drinking water. 

Scientists combined several high-tech components to make an easy-to-use water purifier that could work with the world’s most basic form of energy, sunlight, in a boon for water purification in rural areas or developing countries.

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Graphene (above), along with sunlight and titanium dioxide, can purify drinking water.

 Credit: Tyndall National Institute

Recovering Metals and Minerals from Waste

Scarcity of clean water is one of the most serious global challenges. In its spearhead programme, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed energy-efficient methods for reuse of water in industrial processes and means for recovering valuable minerals and materials from waste for recycling. 

Rapid tools were also developed for identification of environmental pollutants. 

When water and wastewater systems are developed in a comprehensive manner, it is possible to recover valuable metals and other materials and secure availability of clean water. 

Cleaning and treatment processes can also be linked to energy production, and the processes and urban structures designed in such a manner that wastewater treatment does not consume energy or cause extra costs. 

Read more here...

Credit: Prof. Mona Arnold, et al.

Researchers Describe Oxygen’s Different Shapes

Oxygen-16, one of the key elements of life on earth, is produced by a series of reactions inside of red giant stars. 

Now a team of physicists, including one from North Carolina State University, has revealed how the element’s nuclear shape changes depending on its state, even though other attributes such as spin and parity don’t appear to differ. 

Their findings may shed light on how oxygen is produced.

Carbon and oxygen are formed when helium burns inside of red giant stars. 

Carbon-12 forms when three helium-4 nuclei combine in a very specific way (called the triple alpha process), and oxygen-16 is the combination of a carbon-12 and another helium-4 nucleus.

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The shape of oxygen-16 in its ground and first excited state. Credit: Dean Lee et al.

 

Scientists Discover a Better Way to Make Unnatural Amino Acids

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have devised a greatly improved technique for making amino acids not found in nature. 

These “unnatural” amino acids traditionally have been very difficult to synthesize, but are sought after by the pharmaceutical industry for their potential medical uses.

 

“This new technique offers a very quick way to prepare unnatural amino acids, many of which are drug candidates or building blocks for peptide drugs,” said Jin-Quan Yu, a professor in TSRI’s Department of Chemistry.

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Four new human-made ozone depleting gases found in the atmosphere

Scientists at the University of East Anglia have identified four new man-made gases in the atmosphere – all of which are contributing to the destruction of the ozone layer.

New research published today in the journal Nature Geoscience reveals that more than 74,000 tonnes of three new chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and one new hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) have been released into the atmosphere.

 

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Newly Discovered Catalyst Could Lead to the Low-Cost, Clean Production of Methanol

An international research team has discovered a potentially clean, low-cost way to convert carbon dioxide into methanol, a key ingredient in the production of plastics, adhesives and solvents, and a promising fuel for transportation.

Scientists from Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the Technical University of Denmark combined theory and experimentation to identify a new nickel-gallium catalyst that converts hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol with fewer side-products than the conventional catalyst. The results are published in the March 2 online edition of the journal Nature Chemistry.

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Artist's rendering of the nickel-gallium  active site, which synthesizes hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methanol. Nickel atoms are light grey, gallium atoms are dark grey, and oxygen atoms are red. (Credit: Jens Hummelshoj/SLAC)

 

Boron, Discovered in 1808, Gets a Nano Refresh

The National Nanotechnology Initiative defines nanotechnology as the understanding and control of matter at the nanoscale, at dimensions of approximately 1 and 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. Nanotechnology is taking the world by storm, revolutionizing the materials and devices used in many applications and products. That’s why a finding announced by Xiang-Feng Zhou and Artem R. Oganov, Group of Theoretical Crystallography in the Department of Geosciences, are so significant. 

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Projections of 2 × 2 × 1 supercell of Pmmn-boron structure along [001] and [100] directions.

Neutralising heparin without complications | Chemistry World

Neutralising Heparin Without Complications | Chemistry World

The self-assembled multivalent complexes (blue) can induce blood clotting by binding to heparin (green)

A sharp Eye for Molecular Fingerprints

MPQ-scientists record broad absorption spectra on a microsecond scale with two laser frequency combs.

A team of scientists around Dr. Nathalie Picqué and Prof. Theodor W. Hänsch at the Laser Spectroscopy Division of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (Garching), in a collaboration with the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich and the Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay (France) now reports on a new method of real-time identification and quantification of molecular species (Nature Communications 5, 3375 – Feb. 27, 2014).

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Portion of a dual-comb real-time absorption spectrum of acetylene in the near-infrared region. While the spectrum without the adaptive sampling (blind sampling) is strongly distorted, the adaptive spectrum accurately reveals the molecular profiles. (Graphic: MPQ, Laser Spectroscopy Division)

A Molecular Ballet under the X-ray Laser

An international team of researchers has used the world’s most powerful X-ray laser to take snapshots of free molecules. 

The research team headed by Prof. Jochen Küpper of the Hamburg Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) choreographed a kind of molecular ballet in the X-ray beam. 

With this work, the researchers have cleared important hurdles on the way to X-ray images of individual molecules, as they explain in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters. 

CFEL is a cooperation of DESY, the University of Hamburg, and the Max Planck Society.

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The molecules (green stream) enter the test chamber with random orientation and are forced to all take up the same pose by an optical laser (red). A bright X-ray flash (blue) produces a diffraction image (upper right) that contains structural information about the molecule. Credit: Stephan Stern/CFEL

 

‘Greener’ Aerogel Technology Holds Potential for Oil and Chemical Clean-up

Cleaning up oil spills and metal contaminates in a low-impact, sustainable and inexpensive manner remains a challenge for companies and governments globally.

But a group of researchers at UW–Madison is examining alternative materials that can be modified to absorb oil and chemicals. 

If further developed, the technology may offer a cheaper and “greener” method to absorb oil and heavy metals from water and other surfaces.

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A small sample of the aerogel is stirred into a container of water tainted with red-dyed diesel fuel.

Photos: Bryce Richter

Microparticles Show Molecules Their Way

A team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Michigan/USA has produced novel microparticles, whose surface consists of three chemically different segments. 

These segments can be provided with different (bio-) molecules. 

Thanks to the specific spatial orientation of the attached molecules, the microparticles are suited for innovative applications in medicine, biochemistry, and engineering. 

The researchers now report about their development in the journal “Angewandte Chemie“.

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The small, but highly complex particles contain chemically different segments. (Photo: Angewandte Chemie)

New, Inexpensive Production Materials Boost Promise of Hydrogen Fuel

Generating electricity is not the only way to turn sunlight into energy we can use on demand. The sun can also drive reactions to create chemical fuels, such as hydrogen, that can in turn power cars, trucks and trains.

The trouble with solar fuel production is the cost of producing the sun-capturing semiconductors and the catalysts to generate fuel. The most efficient materials are far too expensive to produce fuel at a price that can compete with gasoline.

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One of the limitations of using sunlight to create fuels like hydrogen has been the high cost of producing the semiconductors and catalysts needed. UW–Madison scientists are making progress on an answer. Photo: Bryce Richter

 

ORNL microscopy system delivers real-time view of battery electrochemistry | ornl.gov

Using a new microscopy method, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory can image and measure electrochemical processes in batteries in real time and at nanoscale resolution.

Scientists at ORNL used a miniature electrochemical liquid cell that is placed in a transmission electron microscope to study an enigmatic phenomenon in lithium-ion batteries called the solid electrolyte interphase, or SEI, as described in a study published in Chemical Communications.

Read more at ORNL Microscopy System Delivers Real-time View of Battery Electrochemistry | ornl.gov

A new in situ transmission electron microscopy technique enabled ORNL researchers to image the snowflake-like growth of the solid electrolyte interphase from a working battery electrode.

 

Artificial Cells and Salad Dressing

Researchers have made important discoveries regarding the behavior of a synthetic molecular oscillator, which could help create artificial cells.

A University of California, Riverside assistant professor of engineering is among a group of researchers that have made important discoveries regarding the behavior of a synthetic molecular oscillator, which could serve as a timekeeping device to control artificial cells.

For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out ways to make artificial, programmable oscillators with molecules. Artificial oscillators may help adjust timekeeping in cells and regulating artificial cells. They could also be used as components in molecular computers that could create a middle ground between computers and nature

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Micron-sized droplets of an emulsion form the reaction vessels for a complex, oscillating reaction.

Caps Not the Culprit in Nanotube Chirality

A single-walled carbon nanotube grows from the round cap down, so it’s logical to think the cap’s formation determines what follows. But according to researchers at Rice University, that’s not entirely so.

Theoretical physicist Boris Yakobson and his Rice colleagues found through exhaustive analysis that those who wish to control the chirality of nanotubes – the characteristic that determines their electrical properties – would be wise to look at other aspects of their growth.

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Carbon nanotube caps are forced into shape by six pentagons among the array of hexagons in the single-atom-thick tube. Rice University researchers took a census of thousands of possible caps and found the energies dedicated to their formation have no bearing on the tube’s ultimate chirality. (Credit: Evgeni Penev/Rice University) - 

Leeds Researchers Build World’s Most Powerful Terahertz Laser Chip

University of Leeds researchers have taken the lead in the race to build the world’s most powerful terahertz laser chip. 

 

A paper in the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) journal Electronics Letters reports that the Leeds team has exceeded a 1 Watt output power from a quantum cascade terahertz laser.

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Credit: University of Leeds

Synthesised Sponge Chemical Shows Promise for Cancer

A promising compound for cancer treatment has been synthesised in a laboratory by an RMIT University researcher during his PhD research.

Dr Dan Balan, from the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT, said 15-aza-Salicylihalamide A analogue had demonstrated potent activity against several leukaemia cell lines.

"Salicylihalamide A is an interesting natural marine product that has been isolated from a marine sponge of the genus Haliclona, collected from waters around Rottnest Island, 18 km off the coast of southern Western Australia," Dr Balan said.

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Putting the Power in Power-Dressing

Scientists in the UK developing wearable electronics have knitted a flexible fabric that delivers twice the power output of current energy harvesting textiles.

There is considerable interest and research into wearable piezoelectric energy harvesters that use waste energy from human movement or the ambient environment to power low-energy consuming wearable devices, such as wireless sensors and consumer electronics.

 

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The fabric is composed of two separate conducting, silver-coated polyamide textile faces joined together by a PVDF spacer yarn. Credit: Navneet Soin et al.

Graphene’s Love Affair with Water

Graphene has proven itself as a wonder material with a vast range of unique properties. Among the least-known marvels of graphene is its strange love affair with water.

Graphene is hydrophobic – it repels water – but narrow capillaries made from graphene vigorously suck in water allowing its rapid permeation, if the water layer is only one atom thick – that is, as thin as graphene itself.

This bizarre property has attracted intense academic and industrial interest with intent to develop new water filtration and desalination technologies.

 Read more here...

Credit: Dr Rahul Nair and Prof Andre Geim, The University of Manchester

Superconductivity in Orbit: Scientists Find New Path to Loss-Free Electricity

Armed with just the right atomic arrangements, superconductors allow electricity to flow without loss and radically enhance energy generation, delivery, and storage. 

Scientists tweak these superconductor recipes by swapping out elements or manipulating the valence electrons in an atom's outermost orbital shell to strike the perfect conductive balance. 

Most high-temperature superconductors contain atoms with only one orbital impacting performance—but what about mixing those elements with more complex configurations?

Now, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have combined atoms with multiple orbitals and precisely pinned down their electron distributions. 

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These images show the distribution of the valence electrons in the samples explored by the Brookhaven Lab collaboration—both feature a central iron layer sandwiched between arsenic atoms. The tiny red clouds (more electrons) in the undoped sample on the left (BaFe2As2) reveal the weak charge quadrupole of the iron atom, while the blue clouds (fewer electrons) around the outer arsenic ions show weak polarization. The superconducting sample on the right (doped with cobalt atoms), however, exhibits a strong quadrupole in the center and the pronounced polarization of the arsenic atoms, as evidenced by the large, red balloons. Credit: Brookhaven Lab scientists and study coauthors Lijun Wu, Yimei Zhu, Chris Homes, and Weiguo Yin

Diamond Film Possible Without the Pressure

Perfect sheets of diamond a few atoms thick appear to be possible even without the big squeeze that makes natural gems.

Scientists have speculated about it and a few labs have even seen signs of what they call diamane, an extremely thin film of diamond that has all of diamond’s superior semiconducting and thermal properties.

Now researchers at Rice University and in Russia have calculated a “phase diagram” for the creation of diamane. The diagram is a road map. It lays out the conditions – temperature, pressure and other factors – that would be necessary to turn stacked sheets of graphene into a flawless diamond lattice.

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The phase diagram developed by scientists at Rice University and in Moscow describes the conditions necessary for the chemical creation of thin films of diamond from stacks of single-atomic-layer graphene. (Credit: Pavel Sorokin/Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials)

Rice’s Carbon Nanotube Fibers Outperform Copper

On a pound-per-pound basis, carbon nanotube-based fibers invented at Rice University have greater capacity to carry electrical current than copper cables of the same mass, according to new research.

While individual nanotubes are capable of transmitting nearly 1,000 times more current than copper, the same tubes coalesced into a fiber using other technologies fail long before reaching that capacity.

But a series of tests at Rice showed the wet-spun carbon nanotube fiber still handily beat copper, carrying up to four times as much current as a copper wire of the same mass.

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Scanning electron microscope images show typical carbon nanotube fibers created at Rice University and broken into two by high-current-induced Joule heating. Rice researchers broke the fibers in different conditions – air, argon, nitrogen and a vacuum – to see how well they handled high current. The fibers proved overall to be better at carrying electrical current than copper cables of the same mass. (Credit: Kono Lab/Rice University

New Understanding Could Result in More Efficient Organic Solar Cells

The goal of making cheap organic solar cells may have gotten a little more approachable with a new understanding of the basic science of charge separation presented in a paper published online today, February 3, in Nature Communications. 

Co-authored by Penn State electrical engineer Noel Giebink with lead author Bethany Bernardo, an undergraduate in his group, and colleagues at IMEC in Belgium, Argonne National Lab, Northwestern, and Princeton, the paper suggests design rules for making more efficient solar cells in the future.

Organic solar cells currently have a top efficiency of approximately 10 percent in the laboratory, much less than inorganic single crystal silicon. 

Read more here...

An electron wave function, indicated by orange shading, spreads across several nanocrystalline fullerene molecules in this representation of an organic solar cell heterojunction. Image Credit: Giebink, Penn State

 

Molecular Traffic Jam Makes Water Move Faster through Nanochannels

Seth Lichter

Cars inch forward slowly in traffic jams, but molecules, when jammed up, can move extremely fast.

New research by Northwestern University researchers finds that water molecules traveling through tiny carbon nanotube pipes do not flow continuously but rather intermittently, like stop-and-go traffic, with unexpected results.

“Previous molecular dynamics simulations suggested that water molecules coursing through carbon nanotubes are evenly spaced and move in lockstep with one another,” said Seth Lichter, professor of mechanical engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Read more here...

Gold and Silica Nanostars Imitate the Two Faces of the God Janus

Researchers from the Basque centre CIC biomaGUNE and the University of Antwerp (Belgium) have designed nanoparticles with one half formed of gold branches and the other of silicon oxide. 

They are a kind of Janus particle, so-called in honour of the Roman god with two faces, which could be used in phototherapy in the future to treat tumours.

In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, beginnings and transitions between the past and the future. In fact, the first month of the year, January (from the Latin, ianuarĭus), bears his name. 

This deity was characterised by his profile of two faces, something which has inspired scientists, when naming their chemical designs with two clearly distinct components.

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Two examples of nanostars with one silicon oxide face (bluish) and another with golden branches (yellow). / Credit: Liz-Marzán et al.

Cementing Radioactive Waste

Cement would make a useful material for locking away radioactive waste except for the fact that conventional cement is susceptible to weathering. When water infiltrates its pores, it freezes and when it thaws, the resulting cracks can fracture the cement blocks. Moreover, adding foreign materials to the standard cement slows the hydration process required for the mix to harden leading to greater porosity and an increased risk of radioactive elements leaching out through long-term wear and tear.

Read more here...

Credit: http://www.iucr.org

Molecular Collisions Now Imaged Better Than Ever

Molecular physicists from Radboud University Nijmegen have produced images of the changes in direction of colliding nitrogen monoxide molecules (NO) with unprecedented sharpness. 

By combining a Stark decelerator with advanced imaging techniques, they were able to obtain very high resolution images of the collision processes. 

The results were published in Nature Chemistry on 9 February. 

Read more here...

Visualisation of the collisions between NO and helium (left) and NO and neon (right). The top images show the research results of Van de Meerakker and his colleagues; the bottom images show the visualised theoretical predictions of the collisions. Red indicates a high probability of change of direction; blue indicates a low probability. The small peaks show the diffraction oscillations (Credits: Image Courtesy of Nature Chemistry).