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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Polyimide membranes for the purification of natural gas

26-Jun-2020

Natural gas that contains larger amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2) is termed sour gas. Before it can enter a pipeline, it must be “sweetened” by removal of its acidic impurities. Through fine tuning of the ratios of two molecular components, it is possible to produce ...

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Molecular Containers for the Sequestration of Neurotransmitter Drugs in Water

19-Jun-2020

Molecular containers that remove drugs, toxins, or malodorous substances from the environment are called sequestering agents. Scientists have developed a class of molecular containers that specifically sequester neurotransmitter antagonists. The barrel-shaped molecules called Pillar[n]MaxQ bind ...

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Graphdiyne as a Functional Lithium-Ion Storage Material

19-Jun-2020

Lithium-ion batteries usually contain graphitic carbons as anode materials. Scientists have investigated the carbonic nanoweb graphdiyne as a novel two-dimensional carbon network for its suitability in battery applications. Graphdiyne is as flat and thin as graphene, which is the ...

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Total synthesis of tetrodotoxin

10-Mar-2020

In Japan, puffer fish is considered a delicacy, but the tickle to the taste buds comes with a tickle to the nerves: fugu contains tetrodotoxin, a strong nerve toxin. In low doses, tetrodotoxin is shown in clinical trials to be a replacement for opioids for relieving cancer related pain. In the ...

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Safe Potassium-Ion Batteries

03-Feb-2020

Australian scientists have developed a nonflammable electrolyte for potassium and potassium-ion batteries, for applications in next-generation energy-storage systems beyond lithium technology. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, scientists write that the novel electrolyte based on an organic ...

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Azopolymer material allows light-assisted imprinting of nanostructures for structurally colored surfaces

17-Jan-2020

Structural colors appear because the imprinted pattern on a surface changes the wavelengths of light. Chinese scientists have introduced an azopolymer that allows the imprinting of nanopatterns in a novel room-temperature lithographic process. A key aspect of the technique is the light-induced ...

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Electroreduction of carbon monoxide for the highly selective production of ethylene

13-Dec-2019

Ethylene, or ethene, is a primary feedstock for the chemical industry, including as a starting material for the production of a wide variety of plastics. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, scientists have now introduced a new electrochemical technique for selective and energy-efficient production ...

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Providing Safe, Clean Water

03-Dec-2019

In many parts of the world, access to clean drinking water is far from certain. Filtration of large volumes of water, however, is slow and impractical. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, scientists have introduced a new water purification method based on magnetic nanoparticles coated with a ...

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High-energy-density polymeric cathode for fast-charge sodium- and multivalent-ion batteries

06-Nov-2019

Next-generation batteries will probably see the replacement of lithium ions by more abundant and environmentally benign alkali metal or multivalent ions. A major challenge, however, is the development of stable electrodes that combine high energy densities with fast charge and discharge rates. In ...

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