Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

“Artificial leaf” with organic semiconductors and bacterial enzymes for sustainable conversion of CO₂ – without toxic components

20-Oct-2025 - Researchers have demonstrated a new and sustainable way to make the chemicals that are the basis of thousands of products – from plastics to cosmetics – we use every day. Hundreds of thousands of chemicals are manufactured by the chemical industry, which transforms raw materials – usually fossil ...

Chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time

This breakthrough method could accelerate drug discovery and the design of complex chemical products

12-Jun-2025 - A team of chemists at the University of Cambridge has developed a powerful new method for adding single carbon atoms to molecules more easily, offering a simple one-step approach that could accelerate drug discovery and the design of complex chemical products. The research, recently published in ...

New study shatters conventional wisdom and unlocks the future of electrochemical devices

"Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of the charging process in electrochemical devices”

18-Jul-2023 - A new study by researchers at the University of Cambridge reveals a surprising discovery that could transform the future of electrochemical devices. The findings offer new opportunities for the development of advanced materials and improved performance in fields such as energy storage, brain-like ...

Researchers develop a membrane that stabilises lithium batteries

"Lithium is just like an unruly child”

24-May-2022 - For many people, battery-powered electronic devices like cell phones, laptops, and even electric vehicles, are now a necessity. However, these devices typically require charging at least once a day. Increasing the length of time between charges requires the development of batteries that can store ...

Novel glass materials made from organic and inorganic components

Research team from Jena and Cambridge develops glass materials with novel combinations of properties

18-Nov-2020 - Linkages between organic and inorganic materials are a common phenomenon in nature, e.g., in the construction of bones and skeletal structures. They often enable combinations of properties that could not be achieved with just one type of material. In technological material development, however, ...

AI learns the language of chemistry to predict how to make medicines

05-Sep-2019 - University of Cambridge researchers have shown that an algorithm can predict the outcomes of complex chemical reactions with over 90% accuracy, outperforming trained chemists. The algorithm also shows chemists how to make target compounds, providing the chemical 'map' to the desired ...

Color-changing artificial 'chameleon skin' powered by nanomachines

23-Aug-2019 - Researchers have developed artificial 'chameleon skin' that changes colour when exposed to light and could be used in applications such as active camouflage and large-scale dynamic displays. The material, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, is made of tiny particles of gold ...

Next-generation smartphone battery inspired by the gut

28-Oct-2016 - Researchers have developed a prototype of a next-generation lithium-sulphur battery which takes its inspiration in part from the cells lining the human intestine. The batteries, if commercially developed, would have five times the energy density of the lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones ...

Little ANTs: Researchers build the world's tiniest engine

04-May-2016 - Researchers have developed the world's tiniest engine - just a few billionths of a metre in size - which uses light to power itself. The nanoscale engine, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, could form the basis of future nano-machines that can navigate in water, sense the ...

The thinnest, smoothest metallic lines in the world helps speed up miniaturisation of electronic devices

New method creates super-thin, high integrity, continuous metal lines that surpass today’s semiconductor industry requirements

06-Jul-2010 - Scientists from Singapore A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), University of Cambridge (UK) and Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea) have created metallic lines so thin and smooth that they can only be seen using powerful electron microscopes. This research will be ...