New NIST nano-ruler sets some very small marks

25-Sep-2009 - The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new ruler. Designed to be the most accurate commercially available "meter stick" for the nano world, the new measuring tool — a calibration standard for X-ray diffraction — boasts uncertainties below a femtometer. That's ...

First step to converting solar energy using 'artificial leaf'

Structure of artificial light harvesting antenna determined

01-Jul-2009 - An international team of researchers has modified chlorophyll from an alga so that it resembles the extremely efficient light antennae of bacteria. The team was then able to determine the structure of these light antennae. This is the first step to converting sunlight into energy using an ...

The modern gold rush

19-Jun-2009 - Chemists in the UK have sythesised stable cationic gold(I) alkene complexes using a bulky phosphine ligand and strained alkenes. Alkenes are major products of the petrochemical industry and the way they interact with metals often dictates their chemistry. There has been extensive research ...

Carbon dioxide forms polymeric materials under high pressure

27-Mar-2009 - Carbon dioxide is a molecular gas at ambient conditions and an important consitituent of the Earth's atmosphere. It is also a likely component in the Earth's mantle, and it plays an important role in the life cycle. But at high pressure, carbon dioxide can transform to a solid. The commonly known ...

An impossible alloy now possible

03-Mar-2009 - What has been impossible has now been shown to be possible – an alloy between two incompatible elements. The findings are being published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science , USA. A research team led by Professor H.K. Mao from Carnegie Institution of Washington and Professor Rajeev ...

New imaging technique reveals the atomic structure of nanocrystals

20-Feb-2009 - A new imaging technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois overcomes the limit of diffraction and can reveal the atomic structure of a single nanocrystal with a resolution of less than one angstrom. Optical and electronic properties of small assemblages of atoms called ...

Compound could help detect chemical, biological weapons

Advanced Photon Source only place in U.S. to examine such small crystals

30-Sep-2008 - A light-transmitting compound that could one day be used in high-efficiency fiber optics and sensors that detect biological and chemical weapons at long distance almost went undiscovered by scientists because its structure was too difficult to examine. Luckily, scientists from U.S. Department of ...

Metal-organic frameworks feel the pressure of Argonne scientists

New research may be a key step towards real-world uses of MOFs

29-Sep-2008 - Scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National laboratory are putting the pressure on metal-organic frameworks (MOF). In MOF materials, metal ions can be connected by organic molecules to form scaffolding-like structures similar to a molecular Tinker toy. The struts that make up the ...

Scientists determine strength of 'liquid smoke'

31-Jul-2008 - Researchers have created a 3D image of a material referred to as "liquid smoke." Aerogel, also known as liquid smoke or "San Francisco fog," is an open-cell polymer with pores smaller than 50 nanometers in diameter. For the first time, Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley scientists have ...

Intellection and Bruker AXS Sign Strategic Collaboration Agreement

18-Apr-2008 - Bruker AXS GmbH and mineral analysis technology company Intellection Pty Ltd have announced a new strategic collaboration agreement which builds on the strong existing OEM relationship between the companies. Under this agreement, Intellection will expand its range of products and services, ...