Major breakthrough: New additive process can make better — and greener — high-value chemicals

“Our research opens up fascinating possibilities for the future of pharmaceutical and agrochemical development”

30-Jul-2024 - Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have achieved a significant breakthrough that could lead to better — and greener — agricultural chemicals and everyday products. Using a process that combines natural enzymes and light, the team from the ...

Pushing the boundaries of eco-friendly chemical production

Researchers use light-powered enzymes to modify azaarenes laying the groundwork for a sustainable future

20-Nov-2023 - A team of pioneering researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has made a significant leap forward in the complex world of molecular chemistry. Their focus? Azaarenes, unique molecular puzzle pieces crucial to many everyday products, from eco-friendly ...

Novel process extends life cycle of valuable catalysts: A greener option for chemical manufacturers

Electrochemical approach offers a solution to the decades-long challenge of recycling homogeneous catalysts

25-Oct-2022 - Imagine a typical recycling plant. Now imagine that the plant is a chemistry lab, and the crushed soda cans and waist-high stacks of junk mail have been replaced by microscopic structures worth tens of thousands of dollars per gram. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois ...

Graphene: The more you bend it, the softer it gets

21-Nov-2019 - New research by engineers at the University of Illinois combines atomic-scale experimentation with computer modeling to determine how much energy it takes to bend multilayer graphene - a question that has eluded scientists since graphene was first isolated. Graphene - a single layer of carbon ...

Catalysts combination opens doors to making useful compounds

17-Aug-2018 - Researchers have developed a new method that aids in the process of making valuable compounds by using a unique combination of catalysts. Huimin Zhao, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and leader of the Biosystems Design research theme at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic ...

Team achieves two-electron chemical reactions using light energy, gold

16-May-2018 - Scientists are one step closer to building a carbon-recycling system that can harvest solar energy to efficiently convert CO2 and water into liquid fuels. By optimizing many parts of the system, the researchers say, they can now drive two-electron chemical reactions, a substantial advance over ...

Shape-shifting organic crystals use memory to improve plastic electronics

29-Jan-2018 - Researchers have identified a mechanism that triggers shape-memory phenomena in organic crystals used in plastic electronics. Shape-shifting structural materials are made with metal alloys, but the new generation of economical printable plastic electronics is poised to benefit from this ...

Towards the development of super premium gasoline

09-Dec-2016 - In contradicting a theory that's been the standard for over eighty years, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have made a discovery holding major promise for the petroleum industry. The research has revealed that in the foreseeable future products such as crude oil and ...

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 ...

Water droplets direct self-assembly process in thin-film materials

25-Nov-2009 - You can think of it as origami – very high-tech origami. Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a technique for fabricating three-dimensional, single-crystalline silicon structures from thin films by coupling photolithography and a self-folding process driven by capillary ...