26-Jan-2021

Metallurgists have all kinds of ways to make a chunk of metal harder. They can bend it, twist it, run it between two rollers or pound it with a hammer. These methods work by breaking up the metal's grain structure -- the microscopic crystalline domains that form a bulk piece of metal. Smaller ...

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This work could inform more efficient – and potentially new – forms of catalysis

25-Jan-2021

Like a person breaking up a cat fight, the role of catalysts in a chemical reaction is to hurry up the process - and come out of it intact. And, just as not every house in a neighborhood has someone willing to intervene in such a battle, not every part of a catalyst participates in the reaction. ...

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Work suggests new avenues for cleaning up these 'forever chemicals'

21-Jan-2021

The synthetic chemicals known as PFAS, short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are found in soil and groundwater where they have accumulated, posing risks to human health ranging from respiratory problems to cancer. New research from the University of Houston and Oregon State ...

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Introducing Students to the Periodic Table Using a Descriptive Approach of Superheroes, Meats, and Fruits and Nuts

19-Jan-2021

Many students, especially non-science majors, dread chemistry. The first lesson in an introductory chemistry course typically deals with how to interpret the periodic table of elements, but its complexity can be overwhelming to students with little or no previous exposure. Now, researchers ...

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Hybrid CS algorithm borrows from behavior of cuckoo birds

18-Jan-2021

Computational materials science experts at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory enhanced an algorithm that borrows its approach from the nesting habits of cuckoo birds, reducing the search time for new high-tech alloys from weeks to mere seconds. The scientists are investigating a type ...

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Lowering the combustion temperature for methane

14-Jan-2021

Reza Shahbazian-Yassar, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago and colleagues facilitated the development of a cutting edge "Swiss Army knife" catalyst made up of 10 different elements - each of which on its own has the ability to reduce the ...

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New anode for aqueous batteries allows use of cheap, plentiful seawater as an electrolyte

13-Jan-2021

Lithium-ion batteries are critical for modern life, from powering our laptops and cell phones to those new holiday toys. But there is a safety risk - the batteries can catch fire. Zinc-based aqueous batteries avoid the fire hazard by using a water-based electrolyte instead of the conventional ...

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Study shows improvements to chemical sensing chip that aims to quickly and accurately identify drugs and other trace chemicals

13-Jan-2021

University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals -- everything from illicit drugs to pollution -- as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol. The chip, which also may have uses in food ...

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Researchers take key step toward cleaner, more sustainable production of hydrogen

12-Jan-2021

Efficiently mass-producing hydrogen from water is closer to becoming a reality thanks to Oregon State University College of Engineering researchers and collaborators at Cornell University and the Argonne National Laboratory. The scientists used advanced experimental tools to forge a clearer ...

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A novel and inexpensive coal-conversion technology

11-Jan-2021

Using copper foil, glass containers and a conventional household microwave oven, University of Wyoming researchers have demonstrated that pulverized coal powder can be converted into higher-value nano-graphite. The discovery is another step forward in the effort to find alternative uses for ...

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