A new smart coating could improve the cleanup of nuclear wastewater
Scientists in China have developed a smart coating that could make it easier to remove tritium (a radioactive form of hydrogen) from nuclear power plant wastewater.
Materials Science news
Self‑building molecular rings bring next‑generation drug delivery and smart materials closer
Rotaxanes are dumbbell-shaped mechanically interlocked molecules in which one or more ring-shaped molecules are threaded through a linear segment, known as the axle. To keep the ring from sliding off, two bulky groups, sometimes ...
Water's local asymmetry drives proton hopping between molecules, simulations reveal
Complex simulations—the most intricate of their kind to date—carried out by an international research team led by scientists at Heidelberg University's Institute for Physical Chemistry, have revealed how water governs the ...
Analytical Chemistry
Jul 27, 2026
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Lithium ions sprint up to 10,000 times faster when their molecular cages briefly open
An international collaborative research group led by Professor Bong June Sung of the Department of Chemistry at Sogang University and Professor Shinji Saito of the Institute for Molecular Science (IMS), National Institutes ...
Analytical Chemistry
Jul 23, 2026
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Tiny water droplets convert stubborn plastic waste into valuable acids, study finds
A new way of converting stubborn plastic waste into high-value chemicals using only water and oxygen has been developed by an international team of scientists.
Biochemistry
Jul 15, 2026
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Next‑generation membranes can refine crude oil using under half the energy of distillation
Oil refining is necessary for transforming raw, unusable crude oil into valuable goods like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and petrochemical feedstocks. However, the usual distillation process is energy-intensive, spurring researchers ...
Observing key material properties atom by atom for the first time
Many material properties depend on how electrons are arranged inside a material. Their distribution determines, for example, whether a material conducts electricity or displays magnetic behavior. Understanding how electrons ...
Analytical Chemistry
19 hours ago
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Zirconium tweak unlocks stronger cast aluminum alloy with ductility boost
Researchers at the Department of Materials Engineering (MatE), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and collaborators have developed a new lightweight cast aluminum alloy that is both exceptionally strong and remarkably ductile, ...
Materials Science
Jul 13, 2026
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The surprising physics hiding in a single handful of beach sand
Sand has a way of getting everywhere on a beach day—and for some, it can make or break the whole trip. There's the way it whips through the air just as sandwiches are being unwrapped, the way it turns blisteringly hot underfoot ...
Materials Science
Jul 27, 2026
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Textbook chemistry gains blue-light upgrade to build complex drug molecules in fewer steps
In drug discovery, building complex molecules quickly is the name of the game.
Materials Science
Jul 12, 2026
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