https://phys.org/chemistry-news/ en-us Phys.org provides the latest news on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the disease COVID-19, is infecting the world at a rapid rate. Understanding how this infection works at the molecular level could help experts discover ways to moderate or stop the spread. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-neutrons-probe-biological-materials-insights.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2020 16:18:24 EDT news518455098 More than a century has passed since the last scientific analyses of the famed "Lincoln County [Tennessee] process" was published, but the secrets of the famous Tennessee whiskey flavor are starting to unravel at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. The latest research promises advancements in the field of flavor science as well as marketing. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-unraveling-secrets-tennessee-whiskey.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2020 16:16:42 EDT news518454996 The future economy based on renewable and sustainable energy sources might utilize battery-powered cars, large-scale solar and wind farms, and energy reserves stored in batteries and chemical fuels. Although there are examples of sustainable energy sources in use already, scientific and engineering breakthroughs will determine the timeline for widespread adoption. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-molecules-renewable-energy-future.html Materials Science Fri, 04 Sep 2020 13:23:32 EDT news518444607 Many production facilities (e.g. plastic manufacturers, pharma companies, and others) use nanocatalysts that contain palladium—an expensive component that is not sustainably produced. A chemist from RUDN University found a way to reduce palladium consumption and to make its manufacture more eco-friendly. He developed a catalyst based on a substance that comes from plant waste. Using his invention, manufacturers could cut palladium consumption in half. Moreover, new catalysts can be reused multiple times without any decrease in efficiency. The results of the study were published in the journal Molecular Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-green-catalyst-pharmaceutical-industrial-chemistry.html Materials Science Fri, 04 Sep 2020 11:05:23 EDT news518436319 Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed a new compound that is able to kill both gram-positive and gram-negative antibiotic-resistant bacteria. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-compound-antibiotic-resistant-superbugs.html Biochemistry Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:50:04 EDT news518429396 Did you know that making margaritas and then heading to the beach could leave you with a painful, swelling burn? https://phys.org/news/2020-09-video-lime-juice-skin-sun.html Other Fri, 04 Sep 2020 09:36:17 EDT news518430967 Electronic devices are becoming smaller, more connected, and more powerful; and they still have one thing in common: they need energy to function. Even miniature implantable medical devices and remote Internet-of-Things sensors need some amount of power to run, making it a challenge to design equally small, efficient, and durable batteries for them. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-betavoltaic-technology-dyes-energy-production.html Materials Science Fri, 04 Sep 2020 07:47:05 EDT news518424421 As anyone who has ever straightened their hair knows, water is the enemy. Hair painstakingly straightened by heat will bounce back into curls the minute it touches water. Why? Because hair has shape memory. Its material properties allow it to change shape in response to certain stimuli and return to its original shape in response to others. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-wool-like-material.html Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 16:45:57 EDT news518370346 Researchers at the Center for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, have developed a low-cost, drop-on-demand printing technique capable of generating a wide range of droplet sizes using a variety of inks. Apart from traditional printing, it could also potentially be useful for 3-D printing of living cells, ceramic materials, electronic circuits and machine components. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-low-cost-drop-on-demand-technique.html Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 12:13:02 EDT news518353978 IBM has announced on its blog page the development of an AI/cloud-based chemistry lab named RoboRXN. Its purpose is to help chemists develop new materials in a faster and more efficient way than the current trial-and-error process. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ibm-ai-based-chemistry-lab.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:24:48 EDT news518347479 Demand continues for plastics and solvents made from petrochemicals, which are mainly produced by refining oil despite diminishing global oil reserves, driving forward the search for new ways to produce the chemicals we need. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-methane.html Materials Science Thu, 03 Sep 2020 07:55:43 EDT news518338540 Water molecules undergo ultrafast dithering motions at room temperature and generate extremely strong electric fields in their environment. New experiments demonstrate how in presence of such fields free electrons are generated and manipulated in the liquid with the help of an external terahertz field. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-strong-fields-ultrafast-motionshow-electrons.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:10:55 EDT news518267453 Scientists are looking at luminescent transparent films for use in energy-efficient displays (such as LED screens) and other applications, and the possibilities it opens up for advancing methodologies in several fields of biological and electronics research. However, although multicolor-emitting transparent solid films have been developed, finding efficient ways to tune the color and intensity of light emissions has been challenging. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-modulating-emissions-transparent.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Sep 2020 12:10:06 EDT news518267402 An international team of researchers led by Kyushu University and Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has demonstrated stable, continuous lasing at room temperature for over an hour from a class of low-cost materials called perovskites, finally overcoming a phenomenon that has so far prevented such long operation. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-stable-lasing-low-cost-perovskites-room.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:00:08 EDT news518260828 As you drift into unconsciousness before a surgery, general anesthetic drugs flowing through your blood are putting you to sleep by binding mainly to a protein in the brain called the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor. Now UT Southwestern scientists have shown exactly how anesthetics attach to the GABAA receptor and alter its three-dimensional structure, and how the brain can tell the difference between anesthetics and the psychoactive drugs known as benzodiazepines—which also bind to the GABAA receptor. The findings were published online today in the journal Nature. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-anesthetics-benzos-receptors-brain.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Sep 2020 11:00:07 EDT news518245944 A new and quicker method of diagnosing diseases in patients has been created by researchers at the University of Leeds. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-method-illnesses-coronavirus-cystic-fibrosis.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:38:43 EDT news518261919 Cannabidiol (CBD) is an increasingly popular wellness trend. The compound, which occurs naturally in cannabis plants, is added to many products that claim to reduce anxiety, alleviate pain and more, without the intoxication of its cousin tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While CBD products are largely unregulated and unproven, companies are working to create CBD-like molecules to develop pharmaceutical therapies. Their progress is reported in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-pharma-aims-cbd.html Other Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:20:03 EDT news518260800 Powerful atomic-resolution instruments and techniques at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are revealing new information about the interaction of uranium dioxide (UO2) with water. These new insights will improve the understanding of how spent nuclear fuel will degrade in deep geologic repository environments. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-exploring-oxidative-pathways-nuclear-fuel.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Sep 2020 09:37:38 EDT news518258253 Theranostics, the combination of "therapy" and "diagnostics," refers to drugs that are used not only to treat tumors but also to render them visible. The principle is as simple as it is ingenious: for example, in prostate cancer treatment, a prostate-specific antibody is radioactively labeled. Once the antibody has bound the prostate cancer cells, the radioactivity emitted by the theranostic agent is used to visualize the tumor and possible metastases, and at the same time it also has a damaging effect on the cancer cells at the target site. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-tumours-identification.html Biochemistry Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:44:32 EDT news518251468 The key to efficiently harvesting energy from sunlight could be to find the right combinations of light-capturing materials. Researchers at KAUST have discovered that a form of iron oxide makes an excellent co-catalyst for a promising photocatalytic material called gallium nitride. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-photocatalysts-partner.html Materials Science Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:40:49 EDT news518251244 Shaama Sharada calls carbon dioxide—the worst offender of global warming—a very stable, "very happy molecule." https://phys.org/news/2020-09-sunlight-emissions-materials.html Materials Science Tue, 01 Sep 2020 17:00:21 EDT news518198343 An innovative method for aluminum recycling has been boosted by research showing the microscopic changes that take place when molten alloys cool. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-aluminum-recycling-technology-boosted-crystallization.html Materials Science Tue, 01 Sep 2020 16:03:14 EDT news518194991 Diagnostic devices that are used at home or in doctors' offices are often not sensitive enough to detect small amounts of a virus that might be present in samples from asymptomatic patients, which can occur in early stage COVID-19. In Biomicrofluidics,, scientists report a membrane-based invention that can concentrate the virus content of a sample of urine or saliva, allowing it to be detected. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-small-amounts-virus-early-infections.html Biochemistry Analytical Chemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:00:04 EDT news518162212 In our everyday life it's not uncommon to see the same material in different states. Take for example water: it's a liquid at ambient temperature, we can convert into ice when cooled below 0°C and it becomes a gas when heated above 100°C. The passages between these different states of matter are called phase transitions. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-desorption-polymer-chains.html Polymers Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:44:04 EDT news518175842 Additive manufacturing is currently one of the most significant trends in industry. Now a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS has developed a Multi Material Jetting system that allows different materials to be combined into a single additively manufactured part. This makes it possible to create products with combined properties or functions. The new system can be used with particularly high-performance materials such as ceramics and metal. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-additive-multi-functional.html Materials Science Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:40:58 EDT news518175651 National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (TCI) have jointly developed a synthetic process capable of stably supplying a metallo-supramolecular polymer electrochromic (EC) material. Popularization of this material may stimulate growth in the market for dimming windows capable of electrically changing tint from transparent to dark. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-stable-electrochromic-metallo-supramolecular-polymer.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:25:06 EDT news518174703 A new biological engineering process that could help to decarbonise the UK military is set to be developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-bacteria-algae-decarbonize-uk-military.html Biochemistry Tue, 01 Sep 2020 10:22:34 EDT news518174552 Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have discovered a cost-effective way to significantly improve the mechanical performance of common polymer nanocomposite materials. The discovery could lead to stronger, more durable materials for applications ranging from biomedical devices to automobile tires. https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nanomaterials-short-polymers-big-impact.html Polymers Materials Science Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:03:24 EDT news518169801 Florida State University researchers have developed a new material that could be used to make flexible X-ray detectors that are less harmful to the environment and cost less than existing technologies. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-x-ray-technology.html Analytical Chemistry Materials Science Mon, 31 Aug 2020 16:23:21 EDT news518109797 A team of scientists from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has developed the first drug-like compounds to inhibit a key family of enzymes whose malfunction is associated with several types of cancer, including an aggressive form of childhood leukemia. https://phys.org/news/2020-08-scientists-drug-like-compounds-inhibit-elusive.html Biochemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2020 15:44:32 EDT news518107466