Carrots: Good for your eyes … and for degradable polymers

Researchers have incorporated a compound derived from β-carotene into a polymer that’s fully degradable

23-Feb-2023 - Carrots come in a rainbow of bright colors — red, orange, yellow and purplish black — because of compounds called carotenoids. They help support eye health by reacting with potentially harmful UV light. Interestingly, the molecular structures of carotenoids, such as β-carotene, are similar to the ...

Farewell to ‘forever’ – Destroying PFAS by grinding it up with a new additive

A new way to tackle 'forever chemicals'

25-Jan-2023 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are potentially harmful substances known as “forever chemicals” because they are so difficult to destroy. One emerging technique to degrade PFAS involves forcefully grinding them with metal balls in a moving container, but this technique can require ...

Producing ‘green’ energy — literally — from living plant ‘bio-solar cells’

Scientists have turned to photosynthesis to generate current

15-Dec-2022 - Though plants can serve as a source of food, oxygen and décor, they’re not often considered to be a good source of electricity. But by collecting electrons naturally transported within plant cells, scientists can generate electricity as part of a “green,” biological solar cell. Now, researchers ...

Designing better water filters with AI

Study demonstrates AI’s usefulness toward developing water purification membranes with novel properties

07-Dec-2022 - Even the best water filters let some things through, but designing improved materials and then testing them is time consuming and difficult. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science report that artificial intelligence (AI) could speed up the development of promising materials. In a ...

Microplastics could make other pollutants more harmful

Sunscreens contain compounds that could interact with microplastics and other pollutants, potentially making them more harmful

06-Dec-2022 - Microplastics — small plastic pieces less than five millimeters in length — are becoming a ubiquitous ecological contaminant. Studies suggest that on their own, these tiny bits are potentially harmful, and it’s unclear what effect they could have on pollutants that latch onto them. Now, ...

Distinguish sugars with eye-catching and stretchy rainbow film

02-Dec-2022 - Rainbows and sugar may conjure up images of a certain leprechaun-branded breakfast cereal. But now, researchers in ACS Nano report a kaleidoscope-like film for telling different sweeteners apart that displayed multiple colors when stretched by hand. When evenly stretched with a simple apparatus, ...

Putting the brakes on lithium-ion batteries to prevent fires

New technology could make Li-ion batteries safer without having to sacrifice their performance

17-Nov-2022 - Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used to power everything from smart watches to electric vehicles, thanks to the large amounts of energy they can store in small spaces. When overheated, however, they’re prone to catching fire or even exploding. But recent research published in ACS’ Nano Letters ...

Storing hydrogen fuel in salts — a step toward ‘cleaner’ energy production

This technique paves the way for large-scale hydrogen storage in solids

25-Oct-2022 - Hydrogen gas could someday replace fossil fuels as a “clean” energy source, producing only water and energy. However, handling large quantities of gaseous hydrogen is cumbersome, and converting it to a liquid requires vessels that can withstand extremely high pressures. Now, researchers reporting ...

How to tell if that plastic bottle or bag has recycled material in it

27-Sep-2022 - To encourage more recycling, the U.K. taxes single-use plastic products containing less than 30% recycled material. But aside from a manufacturer’s word, there isn’t an easy way to verify this composition. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have developed a ...

Nanoplastics can disrupt human liver, lung cells’ processes in lab experiments

What happens when people unknowingly eat, drink or inhale nearly invisible pieces of plastic?

20-Sep-2022 - Although it’s unclear what impact this really has on humans, researchers have now taken a step toward answering that question. In ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a team reports laboratory results indicating that tiny plastic particles could enter liver and lung cells and disrupt their ...