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. For more than a decade, a fundamental mystery has surrounded graphene—the one-atom-thick "wonder material" known for its exceptional strength, conductivity, and transparency. Despite its seemingly simple structure, one basic question has remained unresolved: Does graphene attract water, or repel it? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-machine-graphene-hydrophobic.html Nanophysics Mon, 11 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT news697713371 Research on graphene has made great strides in recent years. However, to fully harness its potential in applications such as desalination membranes, sensors, and energy storage and conversion, a deeper understanding of the interaction between graphene and water is required. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-graphene-mirror-droplets-dont.html Nanomaterials Tue, 14 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695396701 Clathrate hydrates are crystalline structures formed at the bottom of seafloors, created by water molecules trapping methane, carbon dioxide or other molecules. While these materials are underutilized in technology, a University of Oklahoma researcher is helping scientists better understand them through a trailblazing study. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-quasi-liquid-layer-growth-mechanisms.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 27 Mar 2026 18:00:04 EDT news693836613 Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: the MXene nanoscroll. The group posits that these materials, which are 100 times thinner than human hair yet more conductive than their two-dimensional counterparts, could be used to improve the performance of energy storage devices, biosensors and wearable technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-mxene-nanoscrolls-energy-storage-biosensors.html Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:36:33 EST news688926961 Across the world, water scarcity is emerging as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. Climate change is pushing rivers and aquifers into unprecedented extremes, droughts and floods are intensifying, and demand for freshwater is rising with population growth and economic development. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-aging-populations-global.html Environment Mon, 26 Jan 2026 11:40:03 EST news688647645 Imagine holding a narrow tube filled with salty water and watching it begin to freeze from one end. You might expect the ice to advance steadily and push the salt aside in a simple and predictable way. Yet the scene that unfolded was unexpectedly vivid. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-salty-reveals-dynamic-brine-migration.html Analytical Chemistry Sat, 13 Dec 2025 10:00:01 EST news684680245 A surprising discovery about how water behaves on one of the world's thinnest 2D materials could lead to major technological improvements, from better anti-icing coatings for aircraft and self-cleaning solar panels to next-generation lubricants and energy materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-discovery-2d-material-anti-icing.html Nanophysics Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:56:02 EST news683808913 In industrial pipes, mineral deposits build up the way limescale collects inside a kettle ⎯ only on a far larger and more expensive scale. Mineral scaling is a major issue in water and energy systems, where it slows flow, strains equipment and drives up costs. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-lab-grown-diamond-coatings-shown.html Nanomaterials Sat, 22 Nov 2025 05:42:25 EST news683012538 Sodium-ion batteries may be the answer to the future of sustainable energy storage and could be used to make drinking water out of seawater. Scientists at the University of Surrey have discovered a simple way to boost their performance—by leaving the water inside a key component rather than removing it. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-sodium-ion-battery-breakthrough-power.html Materials Science Mon, 20 Oct 2025 12:10:01 EDT news680178521 Important tasks like water desalination, dehumidification, and nuclear waste processing all involve expensive separation steps. A team from North Carolina State University used PSC's Bridges-2 to develop a computer simulation force field that greatly simplifies the creation of metal-organic frameworks to separate substances. Their proof-of-concept work for their PHAST 2.0 force field holds the promise of less expensive, more efficient separation of waste products from useful chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-field-simulations-purification-treatment.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:30:04 EDT news678543871 Deep in Earth's past, an icy landscape became a seascape as the ice melted and the oceans rose off what is now the northeastern United States. Nearly 50 years ago, a U.S. government ship searching for minerals and hydrocarbons in the area drilled into the seafloor to see what it could find. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-scientists-secret-fresh-ocean-thirsty.html Environment Fri, 05 Sep 2025 15:42:50 EDT news676305754 Under high-emission scenarios, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a key system of ocean currents that also includes the Gulf Stream, could shut down after the year 2100. This is the conclusion of a new study, with contributions by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The shutdown would cut the ocean's northward heat supply, causing summer drying and severe winter extremes in northwestern Europe and shifts in tropical rainfall belts. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-high-emission-scenarios-amoc-shutdown.html Earth Sciences Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:21:03 EDT news675609661 A joint study by researchers from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin sheds new light on the structure of membranes used in water desalination. Published in ACS Nano, the study was selected as the journal's cover article. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-desalination-characterizing-membranes-dry-states.html Nanomaterials Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:10:01 EDT news675351033 Salt creeping, a phenomenon that occurs in both natural and industrial processes, describes the collection and migration of salt crystals from evaporating solutions onto surfaces. Once they start collecting, the crystals climb, spreading away from the solution. This creeping behavior, according to researchers, can cause damage or be harnessed for good, depending on the context. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-salt-crystals-surfaces-liquid.html Materials Science Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:01:51 EDT news673171292 Natural and engineered systems have a whole world of chemistry inside their tiny pores—known as nanopores—that changes depending on the chemical functional groups inside. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-contaminants-nanopores-desalination-carbon-dioxide.html Nanomaterials Mon, 12 May 2025 11:13:04 EDT news666267182 In nature and technology, crystallization plays a pivotal role, from forming snowflakes and pharmaceuticals to creating advanced batteries and desalination membranes. Despite its importance, crystallization at the nanoscale is poorly understood, mainly because observing the process directly at this scale is exceptionally challenging. My research overcame this hurdle by employing state-of-the-art computational methods, allowing them to visualize atomic interactions in unprecedented detail. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-secrets-salt-crystal-formation-nanoscale.html Nanomaterials Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:50:02 EDT news664103722 Technology for converting solar energy into thermal energy is ever evolving and has numerous applications. A breakthrough in the laboratory of Professor My Ali El Khakani at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) has made a significant contribution to the field. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-plasma-photothermal-material-enable-efficient.html Nanomaterials Fri, 11 Apr 2025 10:27:48 EDT news663586064 Water levels in the Caspian Sea—the world's largest landlocked water body—are getting lower, as hotter temperatures cause more water to evaporate than is flowing in. Even if global warming is limited to below 2°C, it is likely that the level of the Caspian Sea will decline by 5 to 10 m, but if temperatures rise further, water levels could drop by as much as 21 m by 2100. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-caspian-sea-rapid-decline-threatens.html Plants & Animals Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:08:06 EDT news663498481 Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, King's College London and the University of Fribourg have developed polymer water channels, similar to commonly used plastics, that can draw salt out of water, inspired by the body's own water filtering system. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-cell-membrane-biology-saltwater-filters.html Polymers Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:12:03 EDT news663415921 A collaboration between chemical engineers and animal scientists has created a system for recovering valuable industrial chemicals from animal waste, representing a major step towards circularity and environmental sustainability. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-nanofiltration-valuable-industrial-chemicals-cattle.html Biochemistry Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:11:20 EDT news662375476 When you drink a nice refreshing glass of water, do you ever think, "Gee, I'm glad that polymeric desalination membrane did its job!" Probably not, but maybe you should. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-accessible-membrane-filter-desalination-effectiveness.html Polymers Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:50:49 EST news659796643 Robust water-management strategies will be necessary to overcome discrepancies between water supply and demand in a warming world, according to a new analysis by Carnegie Science's Lorenzo Rosa and Matteo Sangiorgio of the Polytechnic University of Milan. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-gap-demand-climate-shifts-analysis.html Environment Mon, 17 Feb 2025 14:10:07 EST news659023801 Würzburg chemists have succeeded in controlling the passage of halide ions by deliberately introducing defects into a two-layer nanographene system. Their results have been published in Nature. The paper shows new perspectives for applications in water filtration or sensor technology. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-graphene-ion-permeability-filtration-sensors.html Nanomaterials Wed, 15 Jan 2025 11:00:05 EST news656067181 Sea level rise is an ever-pressing concern as climate change melts ice sheets. Coastal flooding is an unfortunate consequence, which can have a devastating impact on the local environment, including an unexpected toll on coastal tourism in North Carolina. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-north-carolina-coastal-tourism-decline.html Earth Sciences Thu, 02 Jan 2025 11:00:01 EST news655037237 A team of researchers from Jilin University, NYU Abu Dhabi's Smart Materials Lab, and the Center for Smart Engineering Materials, led by Professor of Chemistry Pance Naumov, has developed a new crystalline material that can harvest water from fog without any energy input. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-crystals-harvest-air-energy.html Materials Science Tue, 19 Nov 2024 13:17:24 EST news651244641 A University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study is the first to describe an electrochemical strategy to capture, concentrate and destroy mixtures of diverse chemicals known as PFAS—including the increasingly prevalent ultra-short-chain PFAS—from water in a single process. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-pfas-aims-pollution-semiconductor-industry.html Polymers Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:12:03 EST news650203921 Manganese ferrite nanoparticles could lead to a substantial surge in the availability of drinking water globally when used to modify the filtering sheets currently used in water treatment plants, according to scientists. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-manganese-nanoparticles-availability-world-potable.html Nanomaterials Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:07:04 EDT news643882021 A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) team has found that pure metallic carbon nanotubes are best at transporting molecules. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-molecules-boost-metallic-carbon-nanotubes.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 05 Aug 2024 14:16:34 EDT news642086190 When water gets inside nanopores with sizes below 10 nanometers, new physics emerge: new phases of ice were observed and ultrafast proton transport was measured. Confined water also plays a role in biology, where aquaporins cross cellular membranes to allow specific transport of water and other small molecules through nanometer-scale channels. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-confined-electric-reveals-dielectric-response.html Nanophysics Thu, 25 Jul 2024 14:30:57 EDT news641136653 In the decade since their discovery at Drexel University, the family of two-dimensional materials called MXenes has shown a great deal of promise for applications ranging from water desalination and energy storage to electromagnetic shielding and telecommunications, among others. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-surfaces-mxenes-atom-reveals-potential.html Nanomaterials Wed, 03 Jul 2024 11:00:01 EDT news639214081