http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Research by Indiana University environmental scientists shows that air-pollution-removal technology used in "self-cleaning" paints and building surfaces may actually cause more problems than they solve. http://phys.org/news290317666.html Chemistry Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:48:10 EST news290317666 (Phys.org) —Gold bars may signify great wealth, but the precious metal packs a much more practical punch when shrunk down to just billionths of a meter. Unfortunately, unlocking gold's potential often requires complex synthesis techniques that produce delicate structures with extreme sensitivity to heat. http://phys.org/news290194428.html Nanotechnology Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:33:57 EST news290194428 The introduction next year of the Euro 6 exhaust-gas standard means that catalytic converters will become more expensive, above all for diesel vehicles. Empa is working on a catalytic substrate made of ceramic foam which, because of its structure, is more efficient and therefore more economic. Not only that—it also requires less noble metal coating. http://phys.org/news286110460.html Chemistry Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:08:00 EST news286110460 Controlling the shapes of nanometer-sized catalytic and electrocatalytic particles made from noble metals such as platinum and palladium may be more complicated than previously thought. http://phys.org/news284639251.html Nanotechnology Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:00:03 EST news284639251 The Obama administration is expected to propose new rules Friday that would slash the amount of sulfur in gasoline, one of the most significant steps the administration can take this term toward cutting air pollution, said people with knowledge of the announcement. http://phys.org/news283777182.html Space & Earth Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:30:01 EST news283777182 The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have enabled unprecedented views of a catalyst in action, an important step in the effort to develop cleaner and more efficient energy sources. http://phys.org/news282480936.html Physics Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:00:01 EST news282480936 Common garden plants are to be used to clean polluted land, with the extracted poisons being used to produce car parts and aid medical research. http://phys.org/news281624370.html Biology Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:00:02 EST news281624370 (Phys.org)—A research group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum atoms on a surface. The new process exploits an unexpected feature of electrodeposition of platinum—if you drive the reaction much more strongly than usual, a new reaction steps in to shuts down the metal deposition process, allowing an unprecedented level of control of the film thickness. http://phys.org/news274608427.html Chemistry Thu, 13 Dec 2012 08:07:15 EST news274608427 A small French start-up company is selling a technology with a hint of alchemy: turning water into gold. http://phys.org/news270654071.html Space & Earth Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:20:02 EST news270654071 Japan's Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear disaster that occurred in 2011—a result of the strongest earthquake on record in the country and the powerful tsunami waves it triggered—underscored the need for a method to monitor the status of nuclear fuel rods that doesn't rely on electrical power. http://phys.org/news270215360.html Technology Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:30:01 EST news270215360 (Phys.org)—Catalytic converters work poorly if they have not yet warmed up. Tiny metal particles in a catalytic converter require a minimum temperature to function efficiently. At the Vienna University of Technology, thanks to a new measuring method, it has now become possible to examine many different types of these particles at the same time. Reliable information regarding what it is exactly that the efficiency of catalytic converters depends on has thus been obtained for the first time. http://phys.org/news268899673.html Chemistry Mon, 08 Oct 2012 07:21:20 EST news268899673 Researchers in the University' s Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence and the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) aim to develop ways to extract platinum group metals (PGM) discarded during mine processing which might then be used in catalysis. The research will investigate "phyto-mining," which involves growing plants on mine waste materials to sponge up PGM into their cellular structure. http://phys.org/news267428346.html Chemistry Fri, 21 Sep 2012 06:39:13 EST news267428346 The notoriously smoggy skies of Los Angeles are a little bit cleaner than you might expect, at least in one respect. According to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the levels of certain vehicle-related pollutants in Los Angeles have dropped by 98 percent since the 1960s. The study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres but is not yet available online. http://phys.org/news265304374.html Space & Earth Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:20:07 EST news265304374 (Phys.org) -- A physicist at the University of York has played a key role in international research which has made an important advance in establishing the catalytic properties of gold at a nano level. http://phys.org/news264068768.html Nanotechnology Mon, 13 Aug 2012 10:00:01 EST news264068768 (Phys.org) -- A newly developed carbon nanotube material could help lower the cost of fuel cells, catalytic converters and similar energy-related technologies by delivering a substitute for expensive platinum catalysts. http://phys.org/news258652978.html Nanotechnology Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:03:21 EST news258652978 (Phys.org) -- Tiny particles of cerium oxide do not burn or change in the heat of a waste incineration plant. They remain intact on combustion residues or in the incineration system, as a new study by Swiss researchers from ETH Zurich reveals. http://phys.org/news257152593.html Nanotechnology Fri, 25 May 2012 08:16:53 EST news257152593 In chemical industry, heterogeneous catalysis is of crucial importance to the manufacture of basic or fine chemicals, in catalytic converters of exhaust gas, or for the chemical storage of solar energy. Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have developed a new infrared spectroscopy method in order to study processes at surfaces of oxides used as catalysts. Their results are published in the renowned Angewandte Chemie journal. http://phys.org/news253275374.html Chemistry Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:16:53 EST news253275374 University of California, Berkeley, chemists are reimagining catalysts in ways that could have a profound impact on the chemical industry as well as on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. http://phys.org/news249235679.html Chemistry Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:08:23 EST news249235679 Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials becoming increasingly expensive, scientists are exploring viable alternatives. http://phys.org/news248091637.html Chemistry Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:20:43 EST news248091637 It is not just in laptop computers, mobile telephones and LED screens that scarce metals are to be found but also in solar cells, batteries for mobile technologies and many other similar applications. The rising demand for these metals increases the risk of a bottleneck in supplies. http://phys.org/news247219316.html Technology Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:02:16 EST news247219316 (PhysOrg.com) -- Three dimensions are not necessarily better than two. Not where ceria is concerned, in any case. Ceria is an important catalyst. Because of its outstanding ability to store oxygen and release it, ceria is primarily used in oxidation reactions. Christopher B. Murray and a team at the University of Pennsylvania have now developed a simple synthetic technique to produce ceria in the form of nanoplates. As the researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, these have proven to be better at storing oxygen than conventional three-dimensional nanoparticles. http://phys.org/news223134764.html Chemistry Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:00:01 EST news223134764 Japanese researchers have created an alloy with properties similar to palladium, a precious metal used in many high-tech goods, a news report said Thursday, dubbing the breakthrough "present-day alchemy". http://phys.org/news212900434.html Nanotechnology Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:00:56 EST news212900434 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers are creating a system that harvests heat from an engine's exhaust to generate electricity, reducing a car's fuel consumption. http://phys.org/news209748739.html Technology Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:32:52 EST news209748739 When it comes to metal catalysts, the platinum standard is, well, platinum! However, at about $2,000 an ounce, platinum is more expensive than gold. The high cost of the raw material presents major challenges for the future wide scale use of platinum in fuel cells. Research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) suggests that one possible way to meet these challenges is to think small - really small. http://phys.org/news196948982.html Nanotechnology Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:03:16 EST news196948982 As you stroll down restaurant row and catch the wonderful aroma of food — steaks, burgers, and grilled veggies — keep this in mind: You may be in an air pollution zone. Scientists in Minnesota are reporting that commercial cooking is a surprisingly large source of a range of air pollutants that could pose risks to human health and the environment. They discussed the topic here today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. http://phys.org/news188629553.html Space & Earth Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:30:01 EST news188629553 (PhysOrg.com) -- Ethanol, often promoted as a clean-burning, renewable fuel that could help wean the nation from oil, would likely worsen health problems caused by ozone, compared with gasoline, especially in winter, according to a new study led by Stanford researchers. http://phys.org/news180011426.html Space & Earth Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:11:32 EST news180011426 Dartmouth researchers have determined that the presence of the rare element osmium is on the rise globally. They trace this increase to the consumption of refined platinum, the primary ingredient in catalytic converters, the equipment commonly installed in cars to reduce smog. A volatile form of osmium is generated during platinum refinement and also during the normal operation of cars, and it gets dispersed globally through the atmosphere. http://phys.org/news159544802.html Space & Earth Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:00:22 EST news159544802 A method of producing synthetic bone, using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters for cars, is being developed by researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick. http://phys.org/news147615891.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:24:51 EST news147615891