Nanoreactors to synthesize organic substances under visible light

A new type of photocatalysts -- nanostructures from titanium dioxide

11-Oct-2018 - A RUDN chemist developed a new type of photocatalysts - nanostructures from titanium dioxide. Hollow nanocubes with ultra-thin walls act like nanoreactors and provide for 28 fold more effective organic reactions at room temperature under the influence of visible light. Traditional methods of ...

More effective catalyst with light

Plasmonic effect allows catalyst to work at lower energy

08-Oct-2018 - Rice University nanoscientists have demonstrated a new catalyst that can convert ammonia into hydrogen fuel at ambient pressure using only light energy, mainly due to a plasmonic effect that makes the catalyst more efficient. A study from Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) describes the ...

Plastic bags that cannot breathe

Optimized enzyme variant can degrade plastic under anaerobic conditions

05-Mar-2018 - Many bio-plastic bags have no place in the garbage. They dissolve too slowly in oxygen-deficient environments like biogas plants and when incinerated they are a burden to the environment. A research project at the Austrian Centre of industrial Biotechnology (acib) hunts for enzymes, which ...

Guanidinium stabilizes perovskite solar cells at 19 percent efficiency

11-Dec-2017 - With the power-conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells plateauing around 25%, perovskites are now ideally placed to become the market's next generation of photovoltaics. In particular, organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites offer manufacturing versatility that can potentially translate ...

Metal-ion catalysts and hydrogen peroxide could green up plastics production

07-Jun-2017 - Researchers at the University of Illinois are contributing to the development of more environmentally friendly catalysts for the production of plastic and resin precursors that are often derived from fossil fuels. The key to their technique comes from recognizing the unique physical and chemical ...

Newly identified microbial process could reduce toxic methylmercury levels

01-Jun-2017 - A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk ...

Phosphine as a superconductor?

Sure, but the story may be complicated

05-Feb-2016 - Phosphine is one of the newest materials to be named a superconductor, a material through which electricity can flow with zero resistance. In 2015, scientists reported that they had liquefied the chemical and squeezed it under high pressure in a diamond vice to achieve superconductivity. Now, a ...

Global warming may increase methane emissions from freshwater ecosystems

21-Mar-2014 - New research led by the University of Exeter suggests that rising global temperatures will increase the quantity of the key greenhouse gas methane emitted from freshwater ecosystems to the Earth's atmosphere – which could in turn lead to further warming. The collaborative study, led by Dr Gabriel ...

Tapping a valuable resource or invading the environment?

Research examines the start of fracking in Ohio

01-Oct-2013 - A new study is examining methane and other components in groundwater wells, in advance of drilling for shale gas that’s expected over the next several years in an Ohio region. The team of UC researchers spent a year doing periodic testing of groundwater wells in Carroll County, Ohio, a section of ...

Scientists develop 'green' pretreatment of Miscanthus for biofuels

21-May-2013 - Two University of Illinois scientists have developed an environmentally friendly and more economical way of pretreating Miscanthus in the biofuel production process. "We pretreat the biomass with switchable butadiene sulfone in the presence of water to break down the plant cell wall, which ...