https://phys.org/chemistry-news/ en-us The latest news stories on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science from Phys.org A team led by chemist Frank Glorius, a professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Münster, has developed a new light-driven reaction sequence. In this triple catalysis, one reaction step triggers the next like three dominoes in a row, toppling one after the other. The molecular transformations occur sequentially in a single reaction vessel. Such one-pot synthesis is considered an ideal process because it is particularly resource- and energy-efficient. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-visible-triggers-cascade-3d-drug.html Biochemistry Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:40:02 EDT news702907999 A research team synthesized and determined the structure of a borate-linked 3D crystalline covalent organic framework, TCTP-COF, via electron diffraction for the first time. These findings will help scientists determine the structure-property relationships for other 3D COFs and facilitate their tuning for advanced applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-3d-cof-tune-porous-materials.html Materials Science Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:00:08 EDT news702806692 Danqing Liu from Eindhoven University of Technology explores how interactions with digital systems can be improved through the sense of touch. To achieve this, she develops advanced liquid crystal polymers that respond to light. Her work has recently been published in two scientific journals, Science Advances and Matter & Light. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-artificial-human-gestures-memory-written.html Polymers Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:40:03 EDT news702897186 Brown University chemists have provided direct evidence that upends the textbook explanation of how triple chemical bonds work in heavy elements. In a study published in Science, the researchers show evidence that when atomic nuclei are sufficiently heavy, the principles described in Einstein's theory of relativity change the structure of triple bonds—blurring the lines between the two separate types of bonds involved in textbook triple bonding. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-carbonbismuth-bonds-reveal-blurs-textbook.html Materials Science Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:20:07 EDT news702832022 Ever wondered where your plastics end up? A PET bottle can be washed, shredded, melted and given a second life. But most everyday items—toys, mattresses, car seats—are made from different plastics that refuse to mix when melted, producing unusable, contaminated material. Sorting is difficult and expensive, so most mixed plastic waste ends up burned or buried, and the materials are lost for good. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-catalyst-plastic-recyclable-chemical.html Polymers Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:00:06 EDT news702801769 Ready meals containing fish and seafood can expose consumers to chemical contaminants that are present in the environment or introduced during processing and packaging. A study by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) has, for the first time, analyzed the presence of a wide range of high-volume chemical substances in ready-made fish and seafood dishes sold in Tarragona, Spain. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-pre-cooked-seafood-based-meals.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:40:04 EDT news702833827 The construction sector faces two problems at once: it emits large amounts of CO₂ and produces vast quantities of concrete waste. But what if part of that waste could be used to trap carbon instead of ending up as rubble? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-neutron-imaging-reveals-limits-storage.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:20:01 EDT news702823646 Natural rubber is widely used in tires, transport, construction, health care and industrial products because of its elasticity, resilience and durability. To improve performance, rubber manufacturers often add silica fillers and processing oils. These oils help reduce viscosity, improve processing and support filler dispersion. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-palm-oil-greener-aid-natural.html Polymers Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:40:01 EDT news702822096 Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have developed a new method that makes the oxidation of alcohols easier to control and more sustainable. Alcohol oxidation is important both for synthetic chemistry and sustainable energy applications. Thermal processes are usually used for this purpose; in other words, the activation energy that must be overcome for the reaction is supplied in the form of heat, and oxidation takes place using oxygen under pressure. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sustainable-alcohol-oxidation.html Materials Science Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:00:07 EDT news702822045 Solid-state batteries are often viewed as a promising path toward safer and more powerful energy storage. However, one key question has remained difficult to answer: How does lithium actually move inside the solid materials during charging and discharging? Unlike liquid batteries, where ions can move more freely, solid-state batteries depend on lithium passing through dense solid particles and across complex interfaces. This makes their internal behavior hard to observe and even harder to control. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fast-irreversible-lithium-migration-solid.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:40:07 EDT news702816083 Catalysts are the hidden engines of modern manufacturing, directly involved in more than 80% of chemical processes. However, catalyst development is highly complex because performance is governed by the interplay of the catalyst, local operating conditions, reactant composition and product formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-high-throughput-catalysts-revealing-hidden.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:20:09 EDT news702814730 Researchers have developed a new 3D printing technique that allows the printing of whole objects while controlling the temperature of the chemical reaction to stabilize the process. Academics in the University of Nottingham's Faculty of Engineering, in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, have developed an enhancement for a type of 3D printing called Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM), which can create whole objects in seconds to minutes. The research has been published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-technique-3d.html Polymers Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:30:01 EDT news702815674 Algae oil is increasingly used as a sustainable source of important nutrients, including polyunsaturated fatty acids that support human health and development. One important example is arachidonic acid, or ARA, which is used in nutrition products such as infant formula and functional foods. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-mild-enzymatic-method-gently-refines.html Biochemistry Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:00:07 EDT news702816089 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 to find better, more efficient ways of refining oil. A new study published in Science describes a potential solution to this problem in the form of a specialized membrane. So far, these membranes are proving to be a scalable and highly plausible industrial technology, and testing has shown promising results for significantly reducing the energy needs of oil processing. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-nextgeneration-membranes-refine-crude-oil.html Materials Science Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:20:02 EDT news702814462 Cells sitting side by side in the same tissues are not identical. Each cell carries its own subtly different chemical signature—a hidden individuality that can reveal how diseases take root and spread. Now, researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a technique sensitive enough to capture this cell-by-cell diversity within tissues with unprecedented precision and stability. Their study is published in the journal Analytical Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-probe-alzheimer-linked-lipids-cell.html Biochemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 21:20:02 EDT news702724793 If you're looking for hydrogen on the elemental chart, it won't take you long to find it. It is right there at the beginning, the lightest possible material. One electron, one proton—that's it. Simple, minimalistic, the Marie Kondo of the elemental chart, but with enormous potential in terms of possible technological applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-hydrogen-tracking-absorption.html Materials Science Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:40:01 EDT news702737305 Among the many modern technologies that shape life today, functional oxide materials are found in almost everything, from advanced electronics to energy-efficient systems. Functional oxides with high-valent metal ions are a significant topic of interest because of their unusual properties, such as superconductivity, magnetism, ferroelectricity and negative thermal expansion (NTE). However, manufacturing these materials often requires harsh chemical conditions that raise safety concerns and produce environmentally harmful byproducts. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-materials-cleaner-production-route-temperatures.html Biochemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:20:06 EDT news702738145 When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sea-stars-materials.html Materials Science Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:20:08 EDT news702737590 Cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) technique used to treat chronic pain, expedite muscle recovery and other conditions. It increases blood flow by creating suction on the skin. But what is released from the skin during treatment? Researchers reporting in ACS' Analytical Chemistry developed a noninvasive approach to analyze compounds pulled into the cup. In a pilot study with healthy volunteers, they detected changes in 13 volatile compounds before and after treatment. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cupping-therapy-skin.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:00:09 EDT news702729427 Pineapple leaf fiber has long been valued in parts of Southeast Asia for traditional uses, including basketry in Malaysia and Thailand and textile applications in the Philippines. Its high cellulose content and ready availability as an agricultural residue have also made it attractive as a reinforcement for polymer composites. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-simple-treatment-pineapple-leaf-fibers.html Polymers Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:40:01 EDT news702724416 Designing high-performance catalysts is essential for cleaner energy technologies, but the behavior of multi-element modern catalyst materials is difficult to predict. In a new study, researchers at Tohoku University with international collaborators developed a collaborative framework that combines large language models with lab experiments to accelerate the discovery of high-entropy alloy catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, a key process in fuel cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-large-language-discovery-catalysts-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news702724057 Hydrogels are squishy, biofriendly materials made mostly of water and a bit of polymer. The Jell-O-like substance is available in the form of medical patches, sprays and glues, and can be stuck to the skin or implanted in the body to dress wounds, affix implants, and encapsulate and release medicine over time. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-breathable-hydrogel-ecg-steady-workouts.html Materials Science Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:00:05 EDT news702574394 Controlling light within microscopic spaces is crucial for next-generation optical devices such as photonic integrated circuits and localized sensors. Microspheres formed of luminescent π-conjugated polymers act as optical resonators that confine and amplify light via whispering gallery modes (WGMs), and they are promising candidates for microscale organic lasers and photonic applications. However, conventional microsphere resonators are geometrically isotropic and emit isotropic light, making directional control of emissions challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-saturn-laser-emission-chiral-polymeric.html Polymers Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:20:01 EDT news702638907 Computers have made it easier than ever before to design the perfect material for a given problem: Scientists can create a virtual version and simulate how that material will behave. Building these atomically precise simulations, however, typically requires deep expertise in computational chemistry. At the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, researchers have developed a kind of shortcut, streamlining scientific workflows using artificial intelligence (AI). https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-framework-battery-combustion-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:00:01 EDT news702654727 With careful recipe and process design, non-alcoholic beer can be made more resistant to foodborne pathogens, according to a new study that provides practical guidance on pH, carbonation and hops. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-carbonation-ph-safer-alcoholic-beer.html Biochemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news702647035 A new medical engineering technology developed at the University of Newcastle could significantly improve recovery outcomes for burn patients. The breakthrough overcomes a longstanding limitation in current wound dressings: maintaining reliable, long-term adhesion with soft, tissue-like materials without causing damage or discomfort, while withstanding moisture and movement. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-plasma-based-hydrogel-tech-recovery.html Materials Science Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:20:03 EDT news702639876 Quantum states can be precisely controlled with the help of tiny carbon rings measuring only a few nanometers in size. This is made possible by a class of rarely used electromagnetic dipoles called toroidal moments. Using computer simulations, physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have now found a way to generate and control these nanostructures without any loss. The findings are published in npj Computational Materials and create new opportunities for quantum computer technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-tiny-carbon-enable-quantum.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:00:08 EDT news702638994 Researchers at the University of Osaka developed a light-driven method for synthesizing Davis reagents that generates the hazardous oxidant mCPBA only on demand and consumes it immediately. Kinetic analysis showed no detectable accumulation of the oxidant, improving process safety. The reaction proceeds at room temperature in non-halogenated solvents and can use sunlight or LEDs, offering a safer, greener and scalable alternative for pharmaceutical-related synthesis. The work is published in the journal Green Chemistry. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sunlight-powered-chemistry-hazardous-oxidant.html Materials Science Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:20:04 EDT news702630483 Testing how quickly a biodegradable plastic actually breaks down in the environment can take months, sometimes years, of lab work. A new study from the Agricultural University of Athens, offers a faster alternative: a machine-learning tool that predicts biodegradation outcomes for a widely used bioplastic almost instantly. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-machine-fast-biodegradable-plastics-nature.html Biochemistry Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:40:04 EDT news702627865 Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University, the Institute for Molecular Science and SOKENDAI have uncovered the hidden mechanism behind a molecular switch—a molecule that can change between different structural states in response to a chemical signal. Their study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, reveals how molecules can gradually switch between alternative states, a process that could help scientists design future molecular machines, smart materials and molecular information technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-molecules-motion-future-molecular-machines.html Materials Science Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:40:06 EDT news702630538