Architecture is key: Biomolecule metal–organic hybrids with high bioactivity

03-Jul-2020

Biomacromolecules incorporated into tailored metal–organic frameworks using peptide modulators are well shielded but highly active thanks to carefully tuned nanoarchitecture. As scientists report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, this strategy can be used to synthesize an “artificial cell” that ...

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Discovery could lead to more environmental protection in the chemical industry

03-Jul-2020

Many substances that we use every day only work in the right 3D structure. Natural enzymes could produce these in an environmentally friendly way – if they didn’t need a co-substrate that is expensive to produce to date. A research team at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) has discovered exactly the ...

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Scientists analyse the deformation behaviour of silicon in nano/micro devices

02-Jul-2020

Mobile phones, data storage for laptops, solar cells, power electronics for renewable energy, or sensors in cars are applications where silicon is the first-choice material despite that its mechanical behaviour at elevated temperature is not yet fully understood. To design efficient and reliable ...

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New process for zinc oxide layers that can be used for nitrogen oxide sensors as well as protection layer on plastic

02-Jul-2020

The application of zinc oxide layers in industry is manifold and ranges from the protection of degradable goods to the detection of toxic nitrogen oxide gas. Such layers can be deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) which employs typically chemical compounds, or simply precursors, which ...

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Studied in detail, the embedding of hydrophobic molecules in water looks quite different than previously assumed

01-Jul-2020

In water, hydrophobic molecules are surrounded by a two different water populations: the inner shell forms a two-dimensional network of water molecules. The next layer is formed by a second water population that is almost bulk like but forms slightly stronger hydrogen bonds to the bulk water. The ...

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Newly designed ligands for a catalytic reaction to synthesize drugs and useful compounds

01-Jul-2020

Currently, various therapeutic compounds in the market, such as proteins, enzymes, and amino acids, are "chiral compounds"--molecules with two structures that are "mirror" images of each other but cannot be superimposed. Although the two variants of the molecule, also called "enantiomers," are ...

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A newly discovered nanocluster has a geometry that “has not been observed in chemistry heretofore,” the researchers say

01-Jul-2020

The discovery of carbon nanostructures like two-dimensional graphene and soccer ball-shaped buckyballs helped to launch a nanotechnology revolution. In recent years, researchers from Brown University and elsewhere have shown that boron, carbon's neighbor on the periodic table, can make ...

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$5 billion deal for bp’s global aromatics, acetyls and related businesses

30-Jun-2020

bp announced that it has agreed to sell its global petrochemicals businessto INEOS for a total consideration of $5 billion, subject to customaryadjustments. The agreed sale, the next strategic step in reinventing bp, willfurther strengthen bp’s balance sheet and delivers its target for ...

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First theoretical explanation how electrical current moves through a thin film of nanocrystals

30-Jun-2020

Researchers at ETH have provided the first theoretical explanation for how electrical current is conducted in semiconductors made of nanocrystals. In the future, this could lead to the development of new sensors, lasers or LEDs for TV screens. A few years ago, we were introduced to TV screens ...

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Turning alcohol into key ingredients for new medicines

30-Jun-2020

Chemists have found a way to turn alcohol into amino acids, the building blocks of life. In a study published in the journal Nature Chemistry, researchers explained the transformation, which involves selectively identifying and replacing molecular bonds with unprecedented precision. The finding ...

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