Organic photovoltaics with new properties

15-Nov-2018

Organic solar cells that can be painted or printed on surfaces are increasingly efficient, and now show promise for incorporation into applications like clothing that also require them to be flexible. The Rice University lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Rafael Verduzco has developed ...

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Polymer nanostructures longer than wide make graphene a better light detector

14-Nov-2018

Scientists from the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) have dramatically improved the response of graphene to light through self-assembling wire-like nanostructures that conduct electricity. The improvement could pave the way for the development of graphene-based detectors that can quickly ...

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Development of battery grade lithium from the brine at El Dorado site

12-Nov-2018

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS and Canadian company Standard Lithium Ltd. are planning to collaborate on the commercial production of battery grade lithium from the brine at El Dorado, Arkansas, USA. Both parties are currently considering setting up a joint venture. LANXESS operates three ...

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08-Nov-2018

When choosing materials to make something, trade-offs need to be made between a host of properties, such as thickness, stiffness and weight. Depending on the application in question, finding just the right balance is the difference between success and failure Now, a team of Penn Engineers has ...

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Maybe so by tapping into geothermal

07-Nov-2018

Water shortages are hitting some areas of the world hard, and with increasing global temperatures, more regions may be experiencing drought conditions. Countries such as Saudi Arabia rely on desalination plants to provide drinking water to their residents, producing 5 million cubic meters of ...

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06-Nov-2018

Researchers from Brown University and the Institute of Metals Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found a new way to use nanotwins -- tiny linear boundaries in a metal's atomic lattice that have identical crystalline structures on either side -- to make stronger metals. The ...

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05-Nov-2018

Electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can harm smartphones, tablets, chips, drones, wearables, and evenaircraft and human health, is increasing with the explosive proliferation of devices that generate it. Themarket for EM-blocking solutions, which employ conductive or magnetic materials, is ...

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Company continues to focus on high-margin specialty chemicals businesses

05-Nov-2018

Evonik has concluded the sale of its Jayhawk site in Galena (Kansas, USA), taking the next step on the road to a consistent focus on specialty chemicals. Funds advised by Permira, an international investment company, acquired the site at a price in the high double-digit million dollar range. The ...

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Nanotube interactions with silk fibroins - key to flexible, degradable electronics

02-Nov-2018

The silk fibers produced by Bombyx mori, the domestic silkworm, has been prized for millennia as a strong yet lightweight and luxurious material. Although synthetic polymers like nylon and polyester are less costly, they do not compare to silk's natural qualities and mechanical properties. And ...

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02-Nov-2018

Geckos and many other animals have heads that are too small to triangulate the location of noises the way we do, with widely spaced ears. Instead, they have a tiny tunnel through their heads that measures the way incoming sound waves bounce around to figure out which direction they came ...

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