15-05-2013

Leading nanoscientists created beautiful, tiled patterns with flat nanocrystals, but they were left with a mystery: Why did some sets of crystals arrange themselves in an alternating, herringbone style? To find out, they turned to experts in computer simulation at the University of Michigan ...

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New method is environmentally friendly and inexpensive

05-04-2013

A team of Virginia Tech researchers has discovered a way to extract large quantities of hydrogen from any plant, a breakthrough that has the potential to bring a low-cost, environmentally friendly fuel source to the world. "Our new process could help end our dependence on fossil fuels," said ...

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27-03-2013

In a search for the next generation of filtration materials, for use in devices such as gas masks, a group of US scientists has synthesised a series of porous organic polymers (POPs) bearing metal-catecholate groups. By changing the molecular building blocks the researchers were able to ...

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Basic University of Oregon research shows promise in efforts to get hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water

22-03-2013

University of Oregon chemists say that ultra-thin films of nickel and iron oxides made through a solution synthesis process are promising catalysts to combine with semiconductors to make devices that capture sunlight and convert water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Researchers in the Solar ...

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Ordered nanocrystal arrays may provide a new platform to study and tailor the light-emitting properties of silicon

23-11-2012

US scientists at the University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University have fabricated the first ordered arrays of silicon nanocrystals reported to date. Brian A. Korgel and colleagues developed a new chemical method to generate tiny silicon crystals—or quantum dots—with precisely ...

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24-10-2012

Nicholas Creager recently pointed to the nuts and bolts of one of Iowa State University's latest biofuel machines. The 6-inch diameter, stainless steel pipe is the pressure vessel, which is essential for the system's operation, said Creager, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering and ...

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Caltech chemists identify the mechanism by which such catalysts work

07-09-2012

Scientists and engineers around the world are working to find a way to power the planet using solar-powered fuel cells. Such green systems would split water during daylight hours, generating hydrogen (H2) that could then be stored and used later to produce water and electricity. But robust ...

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UC Santa Barbara scientists calculate microscopic reaction mechanisms in promising energy storage material aluminum hydride – and challenge outdated reaction curve interpretations

19-07-2012

Hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element on Earth, is a promising energy carrier for emerging clean energy technology. Hydrogen is the energy carrier that powers fuel cells in electric cars, and can be used to store energy generated by renewable sources at times of low demand. A major ...

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Rice University physicists find reversible way to alter VO2's unique electronic about-face

25-05-2012

If you are not a condensed matter physicist, vanadium oxide (VO2) may be the coolest material you've never heard of. It's a metal. It's an insulator. It's a window coating and an optical switch. And thanks to a new study by physicists at Rice University, scientists have a new way to ...

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Metastable material

24-05-2012

A new study shows that the availability of hydrogen plays a significant role in determining the chemical and structural makeup of graphene oxide, a material that has potential uses in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical systems, sensing, composites, optics, catalysis and energy ...

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