https://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. Juan Casado Cordón, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Malaga, considers graphene—an infinite layer of carbon atoms—as one of the greatest discoveries of the last 20 years due to its "unique properties" such as high electrical and thermal conductivity or its great flexibility and, also, resistance. Qualities that become exceptional, he explains, with a recently found evolution consisting in joining two layers of this material—bilayer graphene. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-molecular-bilayer-graphene-higher-semiconducting.html Nanophysics Mon, 26 May 2025 10:26:17 EDT news667473963 Photocatalysis involves three fundamental steps: light absorption, charge separation and transfer, and chemical reactions. These reactions occur at the solid-liquid interface where the complex charged environment influences reaction kinetics. Most research has focused on the charge transfer processes within solid catalysts. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-tracking-photogenerated-electrolytes.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 10 Apr 2025 12:12:03 EDT news663505921 Efficient gas separation is vital in various industries, from medical applications to energy production. However, isolating oxygen from mixtures presents a significant technological challenge. Because many gases, including argon and oxygen, share similar physical properties, separating them is difficult. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-mof-combines-adsorption-dissolution-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 19 Dec 2024 07:59:03 EST news653817541 With a new polymer that only attracts certain substances from solutions when electrically activated, researchers have taken a major step towards sustainable chemical separation. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-team-halogen-bonding-electrochemical-path.html Polymers Tue, 13 Aug 2024 14:19:03 EDT news642777541 Chemical separation, including gas separation, is a common process that is required for manufacturing and research. It accounts for a whopping 15% of U.S. energy consumption and produces millions of tons of carbon emissions. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-machine-hidden-gem-materials-free.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 02 Aug 2024 08:52:38 EDT news641807554 Today's news coverage reports potentially unsafe levels of "forever chemicals" detected in drinking water supplies around Australia. These include human-made chemicals: perfluorooctane sulfonate (known as PFOS) and perflurooctanic acid (PFOA). They are classed under the broader category of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-chemicals-standards-health.html Environment Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:16:03 EDT news637326961 A chemical etching method for widening the pores of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could improve various applications of MOFs, including in fuel cells and as catalysts. Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan and East China Normal University in China developed the new method with collaborators elsewhere in Japan, Australia, and China, and their work was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-chemical-etching-method-pores-fuel.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:10:01 EST news628512863 Princeton researchers have created a new type of hydrogel that is recyclable, yet still tough and stable enough for practical use (and reuse). https://phys.org/news/2023-12-reusable-recyclable-environmentally-friendly-hydrogel.html Polymers Wed, 20 Dec 2023 08:52:04 EST news622284722 When a surface is getting wet, the composition of the liquid plays a role in the wetting process. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPI-DS) found that phase separation within the wetting liquid directly affects the dynamics of spreading. Their findings may inform research in various applications, including tissue engineering, biology and semiconductor manufacturing. The study was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-aspects-surface-revealed.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 15 Nov 2022 09:30:02 EST news587727001 An emerging field explores how groups of molecules condense together inside cells, the way oil droplets assemble and separate from water in a vinaigrette. https://phys.org/news/2022-09-dense-liquid-droplets-cellular.html Cell & Microbiology Wed, 14 Sep 2022 11:00:03 EDT news582364727 Classical molecular sieve membranes, with 3-D microparticles and 2-D nanosheets as primary building blocks, are promising in chemical separation. https://phys.org/news/2021-07-zero-dimensional-molecular-sieve-membranes-gas.html Nanomaterials Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:44:08 EDT news546083046 Of all the exciting topics in the field of material and biochemical research, one of the hottest by far is unraveling the mysteries of spider silk. https://phys.org/news/2020-11-spider-self-assembled-silk.html Materials Science Mon, 30 Nov 2020 10:32:23 EST news525954739 Zeolites are porous minerals that occur both naturally but also are being synthesized artificially. Because they are stable and durable, zeolites are used for chemical catalysis, purification of gases and liquids, and even in medical applications such as drug delivery and blood-clotting powders, e.g. the QuickClot trauma bandages used in the US military. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-lego-like-zeolitic-membranes-carbon-capture.html Materials Science Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:45:44 EDT news521131538 The international collaborative team of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) in Japan, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar (IIT Ropar) in India, and Osaka University in Japan has discovered for the first time a topological change of viscous fingering (one of classical interfacial hydrodynamics), which is driven by "a partially miscibility," where the two liquids do not mix completely with finite solubility. This topological change originates from a phase separation and the spontaneous motion driven by it. It is a phenomenon that cannot be seen with completely mixed (fully miscible) system with infinite solubility or immiscible system with no solubility. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-year-old-theory-viscous-liquids.html Soft Matter Mon, 28 Sep 2020 16:38:19 EDT news520529895 The international collaborative team of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT, Japan), IIT Ropar (India), Osaka Univ. (Japan) has discovered that "partially miscibility," in which two liquids do not mix completely with finite solubility, is capable of deforming the liquid-liquid interface. This interfacial deformation originates due to the spontaneous motion driven by phase separation between the soluble species, and is a phenomenon that cannot be seen with completely mixed (fully miscible) with infinite solubility or (almost) immiscible with no solubility. https://phys.org/news/2020-01-discovery-liquid-liquid-interfacial-deformation-partial.html General Physics Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:16:16 EST news499349774 The question of the origin of life remains one of the oldest unanswered scientific questions. A team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has now shown for the first time that phase separation is an extremely efficient way of controlling the selection of chemical building blocks and providing advantages to certain molecules. https://phys.org/news/2018-05-simple-mechanism-decisive-life.html Biochemistry Thu, 24 May 2018 06:30:57 EDT news446362242 A team of Korean researchers, affiliated with UNIST is receiving the media spotlight as they have proposed a green material strategy for the development of smart battery separators beyond the current state-of-the-art counterparts. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-next-generation-smart-membranes.html Nanomaterials Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:03:58 EDT news391421015 A research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology and ExxonMobil has demonstrated a new carbon-based molecular sieve membrane that could dramatically reduce the energy required to separate a class of hydrocarbon molecules known as alkyl aromatics. https://phys.org/news/2016-08-carbon-molecular-sieve-membranes-energy.html Materials Science Thu, 18 Aug 2016 14:00:08 EDT news390718597 Researchers from Imperial College London have developed a new synthetic method for producing molecularly designed polymer membranes that has the potential to make chemical separation processes up to two orders of magnitude more efficient than using conventional membranes. https://phys.org/news/2016-05-chemical-membranes.html Materials Science Wed, 04 May 2016 04:54:35 EDT news381556459 The development of reliable, convenient and cost-effective methods for drug analysis is crucial in the control and the fight against drug abuse. Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a new technique, named Wooden-tip Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (WT-ESI-MS), for rapid and reliable detection of four common drugs-of-abuse, including ketamine, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. https://phys.org/news/2015-03-technique-rapid-drugs-of-abuse.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 24 Mar 2015 08:50:03 EDT news346401346 A new polymer developed by researchers at Cardiff University may lead to more efficient large-scale separation of gas mixtures for chemical engineering and energy generation. https://phys.org/news/2013-01-team-efficient-gas-polymer-sieves.html Polymers Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:00:18 EST news277653285 European researchers advanced the frontiers of chemical separation technology. The increased specificity and selectivity regarding identification of biologically relevant molecules should have important impact on biomedicine and environmental science in particular. https://phys.org/news/2012-09-amounts-molecules.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 10 Sep 2012 09:09:46 EDT news266486978 (Phys.org) -- Scientists have overcome key design hurdles to expand the potential uses of nanopores and nanotubes. The creation of smart nanotubes with selective mass transport opens up a wider range of applications for water purification, chemical separation and fighting disease. https://phys.org/news/2012-07-synthetic-nanotubes-foundation-technology-artificial.html Nanomaterials Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:20:55 EDT news261908447 Nature's process for storing solar energy occurs in light-absorbing protein complexes called photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs). Across billions of years of evolution, Nature has retained a common light-absorbing hexameric cofactor core for carrying out the very first chemical reaction of photosynthesis, the light-induced electron transfer across approximately 3 nm. This process has direct analogies to light-driven charge separation in photovoltaic devices. https://phys.org/news/2012-04-nature-nanoscale-solar-energy.html Nanophysics Wed, 18 Apr 2012 07:56:17 EDT news253954499 (PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers have developed a new method for creating high-performance membranes from crystal sieves called zeolites; the method could increase the energy efficiency of chemical separations up to 50 times over conventional methods and enable higher production rates. https://phys.org/news/2009-07-membrane-barrier.html Materials Science Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:48:42 EDT news168187670