Caught in the act: Key chemical intermediates in pollutant-to-fuel reaction identified

Such work will help convert an atmospheric pollutant into fuel for vehicles, and chemical feedstocks for industry

11-Jul-2022 - Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and collaborating partners experimentally measured hydrogenation of metal-adsorbed formate. This development will facilitate practical conversion of carbon dioxide pollutant into methanol fuel. Carbon dioxide pollution continues to change the global ...

Electrons Passed Around

Ultrafast charge transfer in Prussian blue analogues

23-Aug-2021 - Photoinduced charge transfers are an interesting electronic property of Prussian blue and some analogously structured compounds. A team of researchers has now been able to elucidate the ultrafast processes in the light-induced charge transfer between iron and manganese in a manganese-containing ...

New study on a recently discovered chlorophyll molecule could be key to better solar cells

Scientists uncover location and functions of a new type of chlorophyll molecule for the first time

23-Jan-2020 - All living organisms need energy for their survival, and this energy indirectly comes from the sun. Some organisms, such as plants, cyanobacteria, and algae, are capable of directly converting this light energy into chemical energy via a process called "photosynthesis". These photosynthetic ...

How small can they get?

Polymers may be the key to single-molecule electronic devices

30-May-2019 - Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology and University of Tsukuba demonstrate that polymers could play a key role in the fabrication of single-molecule electronic devices, allowing us to push the boundaries of the nanoelectronics revolution. One of the most striking aspects of the electronic ...

The Game Algorithm that could Improve Materials Design

New algorithm could help scientists decide the best atomic structures for the materials they design

28-Aug-2017 - Designing advanced materials is a complex process, with many potential combinations for precisely placing atoms within a structure. But now, scientists have developed a new tool that helps determine the ideal placements - thanks to an algorithm that identifies the best moves to win computer ...

Successful real-time observation of atomic motion with sub-nanometer resolution

24-Feb-2016 - Associate Professor Muneaki Hase of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences of the University of Tsukuba, Dr. Paul Fons, Chief Researcher in the Nanoelectronics Division of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Lecturer Toru Shimada of Hirosaki University, Dr. ...

Measuring the mass of molecules on the nano-scale

By observing the shift in eigenstates of coupled microcantilevers, researchers can measure nanogram-scale mass in a liquid environment with extreme accuracy

04-Jun-2015 - Working with a device that slightly resembles a microscopically tiny tuning fork, researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan have recently developed coupled microcantilevers that can make mass measurements on the order of nanograms with only a 1 percent margin of error - potentially ...

Polymer films mimic nature’s iridescence

14-Mar-2013 - Triple-layer photonic polymer films have been prepared that show the same type of iridescent optical behaviour that is seen in the bodies of some insects and birds. The scientists behind the work mimicked the phenomenon by preparing triple-layered films that contain different liquid crystal ...

Planting the seeds for nanoparticle growth

22-Apr-2009 - Metal sulphide building blocks can be used to create functional heterostructured nanoparticles say scientists from Japan. Toshiharu Teranishi and co-workers from the University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, have developed a seed-mediated growth strategy to make flower- and dumbbell-shaped ...

Photoluminescent well-organised films

24-Sep-2008 - Takayoshi Sasaki and colleagues at the National Institute of Materials Science, Tsukuba, and co-workers from the University of Tsukuba, Japan have prepared rare earth hydroxide films by trapping micrometer-sized crystals at a hexane-water interface and then transferring them to a substrate. The ...