95% nanoplastic removal with apples?!

30-Jun-2022 - Microplastics are known to collect in ecosystems and nanoplastics occur from the breaking down of microplastics. Nanoplastics are plastic particles of sizes less than 100nm and when they are in water, they are dispersed in a colloidal form. Nanoplastics might be more prevalent than microplastics, ...

Proton transfer between titania surface and dye observed for photocatalysis evaluation

09-Nov-2021 - A temporal change in the titania surface chemical state during the UV light irradiation is not observable through conventional methods such as regular FTIR or Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, a team led by Professor Hiromasa Nishikiori of Shinshu University's RISM observed this reaction through ...

Recycling plastic: Vinyl polymer broken down to aspirin components

04-Jul-2019 - Before you read this, look around your room. How much of your surroundings are made of plastic? The chair that you sit on, the desk, the casing on your computer and monitor, the pen you use, the carpet, the shoes you wear, your clothes, your bag, the soda bottle you sip from, the furniture, the ...

Seeing the light

A solution for efficiency problem of artificial photosynthesis

07-Dec-2018 - Hydrogen-powered electronics, travel, and more may be a step closer thanks to the work of a collaborative team of scientists in Japan. The researchers have developed a new method to more efficiently produce a key component needed to convert solar energy and water into hydrogen fuel, a process ...

Building blocks of life

Proteins that self-assemble into supramolecular complexes

23-Jul-2018 - A collaborative research team based in Japan has designed new proteins that can self-assemble into the complex structures underlying biological organisms, laying the groundwork for leading-edge applications in biotechnology. The researchers created and developed the proteins with a specific ...

New mechanisms discovered to separate air

05-Jun-2018 - Unlike the windows of your house, nanoscale holes in graphene (named as "nanowindows") can selectively choose which type of air molecules can pass through. Scientists from Shinshu University and PSL University, France, theoretically proved concerted motion of the nanowindow-rim to selectively ...

Charging ahead to higher energy batteries

26-Feb-2018 - Researchers have developed a new way to improve lithium ion battery efficiency. Through the growth of a cubic crystal layer, the scientists have created a thin and dense connecting layer between the electrodes of the battery. Professor Nobuyuki Zettsu from the Center for Energy and Environmental ...