A new type of photocatalysts -- nanostructures from titanium dioxide

11-Oct-2018

A RUDN chemist developed a new type of photocatalysts - nanostructures from titanium dioxide. Hollow nanocubes with ultra-thin walls act like nanoreactors and provide for 28 fold more effective organic reactions at room temperature under the influence of visible light. Traditional methods of ...

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Plasmonic effect allows catalyst to work at lower energy

08-Oct-2018

Rice University nanoscientists have demonstrated a new catalyst that can convert ammonia into hydrogen fuel at ambient pressure using only light energy, mainly due to a plasmonic effect that makes the catalyst more efficient. A study from Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) describes the ...

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Optimized enzyme variant can degrade plastic under anaerobic conditions

05-Mar-2018

Many bio-plastic bags have no place in the garbage. They dissolve too slowly in oxygen-deficient environments like biogas plants and when incinerated they are a burden to the environment. A research project at the Austrian Centre of industrial Biotechnology (acib) hunts for enzymes, which ...

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11-Dec-2017

With the power-conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells plateauing around 25%, perovskites are now ideally placed to become the market's next generation of photovoltaics. In particular, organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites offer manufacturing versatility that can potentially translate ...

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07-Jun-2017

Researchers at the University of Illinois are contributing to the development of more environmentally friendly catalysts for the production of plastic and resin precursors that are often derived from fossil fuels. The key to their technique comes from recognizing the unique physical and chemical ...

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01-Jun-2017

A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has identified a novel microbial process that can break down toxic methylmercury in the environment, a fundamental scientific discovery that could potentially reduce mercury toxicity levels and support health and risk ...

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Sure, but the story may be complicated

05-Feb-2016

Phosphine is one of the newest materials to be named a superconductor, a material through which electricity can flow with zero resistance. In 2015, scientists reported that they had liquefied the chemical and squeezed it under high pressure in a diamond vice to achieve superconductivity. Now, a ...

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Laboratory tests help with evaluation of environmental compatibility

11-Feb-2013

Like all organic materials, textiles will decompose under the influence of water and microorganisms in the ground. Under comparable environmental conditions, it depends mainly on the raw materials used whether the decomposition process takes place over the course of months, years, decades or even ...

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Ordered nanocrystal arrays may provide a new platform to study and tailor the light-emitting properties of silicon

23-Nov-2012

US scientists at the University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University have fabricated the first ordered arrays of silicon nanocrystals reported to date. Brian A. Korgel and colleagues developed a new chemical method to generate tiny silicon crystals—or quantum dots—with precisely controlled ...

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11-Nov-2010

A timely review analyzing the correlation of synthesis methods and physical properties of single-layer and few-layered graphene flakes. A review of methods used for synthesizing both single and few-layer graphene and the resulting properties is presented by C.N.R. Rao and colleagues at the ...

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