High-voltage environmentally friendly organic lithium-ion batteries

19-Apr-2022

A joint research team from Tohoku University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has made a significant advancement towards high-voltage metal-free lithium-ion batteries that use a small organic molecule, croconic acid. The breakthrough moves us closer to realizing metal-free, ...

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UCLA-led research could revise a 70-year-old model of how the fundamental building blocks of substances are assembled

20-Oct-2021

Many substances around us, from table salt and sugar to most metals, are arranged into crystals. Because their molecules are laid out in an orderly, repetitive pattern, much is understood about their structure. However, a far greater number of substances — including rubber, glass and most liquids ...

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Researchers infuse bacteria with silver to improve power efficiency in fuel cells

20-Sep-2021

A UCLA-led team of engineers and chemists has taken a major step forward in the development of microbial fuel cells — a technology that utilizes natural bacteria to extract electrons from organic matter in wastewater to generate electrical currents. A study detailing the breakthrough was recently ...

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New dimensions in organic chemistry through light-mediated synthesis

07-Apr-2021

A major goal of organic and medicinal chemistry in recent decades has been the rapid synthesis of three-dimensional molecules for the development of new drugs. These drug candidates exhibit a variety of improved properties compared to predominantly flat molecular structures, which are reflected ...

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Promising way to to transform ethylene production into a greener industry

24-Sep-2020

A research team from Caltech and the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has demonstrated a promising way to efficiently convert carbon dioxide into ethylene -- an important chemical used to produce plastics, solvents, cosmetics and other important products globally. The scientists developed ...

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The idea began as a joke over morning coffee

29-Apr-2019

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Solargiga Energy in China have discovered that caffeine can help make a promising alternative to traditional solar cells more efficient at converting light to electricity. Their research may enable this cost-effective renewable ...

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Highly durable aerogel that could ultimately be an upgrade for insulation on spacecraft

19-Feb-2019

UCLA researchers and collaborators at eight other research institutions have created an extremely light, very durable ceramic aerogel. The material could be used for applications like insulating spacecraft because it can withstand the intense heat and severe temperature changes that space ...

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The weed killer could potentially be used to find new drugs for antibacterial medicines.

17-Jul-2018

A garden can be a competitive environment. Plants and unseen microorganisms in the soil all need precious space to grow. And to gain that space, a microbe might produce and use chemicals that kill its plant competitors. But the microbe also needs immunity from its own poisons. By looking for that ...

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12-Dec-2017

Silicon -- the shiny, brittle metal commonly used to make semiconductors -- is an essential ingredient of modern-day electronics. But as electronic devices have become smaller and smaller, creating tiny silicon components that fit inside them has become more challenging and more expensive. Now, ...

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25-Oct-2016

A research team led by UCLA electrical engineers has developed an artificial composite material to control of higher-frequency electromagnetic waves, such as those in the terahertz and far-infrared frequencies. The material, specifically a metamaterial because it is has properties not found in ...

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