Electrochemical breakthrough turns nitrate waste into ammonia fuel

Copper-palladium hydride interfaces enable highly efficient electrochemical ammonia synthesis

14-Jan-2026 - Ammonia (NH3) is essential for agriculture and plays an important role in next-generation carbon-free energy systems. RenewableNH3synthesisisa supplementary or alternative to thetraditional Haber-Bosch process.The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO3−RR) toNH3offers a promising ...

Lead-acid battery inspired catalyst design

Pb doped RuIrOx for efficient and durable acidic oxygen evolution in proton exchange membrane electrolyzers at 3 A/cm2

27-Nov-2025 - A n international research team from the Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory (SLAB), the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory have developed a novel lead-doped ruthenium-iridium oxide (RuIrPbOₓ) catalyst that exhibits ...

Unlocking the power of gold: a breakthrough in green chemistry

Researchers have discovered a powerful synergy between gold, manganese, and copper that could transform the way we produce valuable chemicals

20-Oct-2025 - Acetaldehyde is a key chemical intermediate traditionally produced via the ethylene-based Wacker oxidation process, which is both costly and environmentally harmful. Selective oxidation of bioethanol to acetaldehyde offers a greener and more sustainable alternative, yet most reported catalysts ...

Chemical scissors enable structural editing of layered materials

Structural editing strategy of MAX phases and MXenes

03-Apr-2023 - Researchersled by Prof. HUANG Qing at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from USA and Sweden, have developed a chemical scissors-mediated structural editing strategy for layered ...

Manganese single-atom catalyst boosts performance of electrochemical CO2 Reduction

03-Sep-2020 - Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising approach to convert CO2 into useful chemicals. A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Suojiang from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences prepared a manganese (Mn) single-atom catalyst (SAC) with ...

Laser takes pictures of electrons in crystals

The experiments pave the way towards to deeply understand and eventually control the chemical and the electronic properties of materials

03-Jul-2020 - Microscopes of visible light allow us to see tiny objects such living cells and their interior. Yet, they cannot discern how electrons are distributed among atoms in solids. Now researchers around Prof. Eleftherios Goulielmakis of the Extreme Photonics Labs at the University of Rostock and the ...

Is the simplest chemical reaction really that simple?

Uncovered mechanism leads to clear quantum interference and verifies that Nature does "play dice"

18-May-2020 - Most people think that quantum theory, which describes the motion of molecules and atomic and subatomic particles, is counterintuitive, since quantum mechanics describes behavior at odds with classical mechanics. Even Albert Einstein, who never accepted quantum mechanics, famously said that "He ...

Where is heavy air pollution in Beijing from?

09-Jan-2017 - Beijing's latest smog alert has dragged on into the first week of 2017. In fact, the joint prevention and control policy for atmospheric pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was announced after the heavy haze event occurred on 1 January 2013. But it is still uncertain about what or where ...

New visible light photocatalyst kills bacteria, even after light turned off

22-Jan-2010 - In the battle against bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a powerful new weapon – an enhanced photocatalytic disinfection process that uses visible light to destroy harmful bacteria and viruses, even in the dark. Based upon a new catalyst, the disinfection process ...

New material for nanoscale computer chips

19-Aug-2009 - Nanochemists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen have developed nanoscale electric contacts out of organic and inorganic nanowires. In the contact they have crossed the wires like Mikado sticks and coupled several ...