https://phys.org/chemistry-news/materials-science/ en-us The latest news on chemistry and materials science For the first time, researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have demonstrated that the low-purity iron ore prevalent in Minnesota can be used to create semiconductor-quality iron sulfide, also known as "fool's gold" or pyrite. This discovery could have cost-effective and sustainable applications in future electronic devices and other technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-minnesota-iron-ore-key-sustainable.html Materials Science Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:01 EDT news705929196 Inspired by pumped-storage hydropower, a nickel-based redox reservoir enables spontaneous nitrile synthesis in organic solvents, while hydrogen gas is produced separately. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-rechargeable-nickel-reservoir-enables-nitrile.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:20:06 EDT news705851941 Scientists from the University of Manchester's Department of Chemistry, Centre for Radiochemistry Research and Photon Science Institute, led by Professor Steve Liddle, have uncovered why a rare class of metal clusters appears to behave differently in experiments and theoretical calculations, resolving a debate about the nature of chemical aromaticity and revealing a previously overlooked type of magnetic response. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-magnetic-mystery-thorium-clusters.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news705843396 A simple flame-synthesis method can produce highly active catalysts for converting carbon dioxide into methane, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. The team used flame-assisted spray pyrolysis to manufacture nickel–cerium oxide catalysts with finer nanoparticles and more active sites than conventional methods. These catalysts achieved outstanding methanation performance while remaining suitable for large-scale production, offering a practical route toward carbon-neutral fuel technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-synthesis-catalysts-carbon-dioxide-methane.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:40:02 EDT news705848830 Research teams have developed a multifunctional fiber-shaped electronic device capable of both generating electricity and detecting hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. The achievement demonstrates that a single fiber can function as a self-powered safety sensor that generates its own electricity while detecting hazardous gases. The technology is expected to accelerate the practical application of smart clothing and wearable devices for industrial safety. The study is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fiber-based-electronic-device-generates.html Materials Science Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:02:05 EDT news705841304 University of Birmingham scientists who used green chemistry to make a next-generation metal-organic framework (MOF) for capturing heavy metals from wastewater have shown that it is cheaper and more resource-efficient to produce than a similar MOF processed conventionally. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-greener-material-decontamination.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:40:04 EDT news705771481 In Nature Communications a research team led by Professor Tae-Hyun Bae of the KAIST Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering introduced hydrogen-selective transport pathways at the angstrom scale inside polymer membranes and clarified their separation performance through the concept of "network completeness." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-polymer-membrane-high-purity-hydrogen.html Polymers Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news705771122 Food insecurity is a major problem in many parts of the world, particularly Africa, where more than 300 million people regularly go hungry. Now, using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, researchers from Morocco have developed a way to produce fertilizer from local African rocks, which could make it easier for farmers to grow the crops needed to feed local residents. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-fertilizer-local-hungry-africa.html Biochemistry Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:40:01 EDT news705763827 Whether it's neurons responding to electrical signals or plants stretching toward light, nature is filled with examples of biological materials that respond to their environment. Now, researchers want to develop new responsive materials for a wide range of applications, such as sensing or low-energy technologies. However, achieving a balance of useful properties at the molecular level is challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-molecular-possibilities-future-electronics-storage.html Polymers Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:01 EDT news705755360 Most glues need a dry surface to stick properly. Bonding materials underwater is challenging because water forms a thin film on any surface, so instead of an adhesive touching a material directly, it touches a layer of water, which weakens the bond. But scientists from China have now created a superglue that repels water and forms a strong, recyclable bond within seconds, as they report in a paper published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-recyclable-bonds-underwater-seconds-years.html Polymers Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news705663880 Capturing carbon or storing hydrogen to combat global warming requires compressing gases into sponge-like porous materials. Until now, gas molecules were thought to adsorb in a disordered manner throughout the pores. But what if invisible gas molecules could be lined up in regular order—like ice crystals or LEGO bricks? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-porous-material-disordered-gas-molecules.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 11 Aug 2026 18:20:05 EDT news705678721 Researchers have developed a polymer composite that combines vibration damping with reliable strain sensing. The material uses a thermoplastic polyurethane matrix containing UPy (2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone) units, which form reversible quadruple hydrogen bonds. These molecular links can break and reform. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-composite-retains-response-strain.html Polymers Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:00:05 EDT news705586351 The high cost of platinum is one of the main barriers to the wider adoption of hydrogen fuel cells. Now, researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a catalyst that delivers the same performance while using 75% less of this expensive metal. The study, published in Electrochimica Acta, demonstrates a breakthrough made possible by applying controlled mechanical compression to the catalyst. This modifies its atomic-scale structure, enabling it to achieve energy efficiency comparable to that of pure platinum. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-catalyst-platinum-hydrogen-fuel-cells.html Analytical Chemistry Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news704994481 For the first time, researchers have discovered that the same silver (Ag) nanocatalyst operates at different reaction sites depending on whether a solid oxide cell is generating electricity or producing hydrogen. This finding introduces a new design principle for improving the performance of next-generation solid oxide cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-silver-nanocatalysts-reaction-sites-power.html Materials Science Sat, 08 Aug 2026 02:50:52 EDT news705376221 Oxygen provides the driving force for many vital chemical reactions. Two well-known examples include respiration, the process that allows living things to break down food to release its energy, and combustion, reactions that produce heat and light. But oxygen has an unusual electronic configuration that tends to slow reactions with organic matter, so reactions often need help to get started. In nature, specialized proteins called enzymes can activate oxygen on demand by first rearranging its electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-cleaner-chemical-reactions-oxygen.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:20:01 EDT news705328021 α-Silyl alcohols are unique organosilicon compounds bearing a silyl group and a hydroxy group on the same carbon atom. Because these compounds serve as precursors to reactive species, such as carbanions and carbon radicals, they are pivotal building blocks for synthesizing pharmaceuticals and functional materials. However, their synthesis often requires multistep procedures and suffers from poor functional group tolerance. Developing simpler and more versatile synthetic methodologies has therefore become increasingly important. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-photocatalytic-method-cleaves-strong-ch.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:40:05 EDT news705326763 The cuts of meat in a supermarket case can look perfectly fresh even as bacteria are already multiplying inside the package. Is there a way to know before you open it? https://phys.org/news/2026-08-smart-hydrogel-packaging-food-fresh.html Biochemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:40:02 EDT news705252001 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 organize themselves at the atomic scale is therefore one of the major challenges in materials science. Now, a team led by researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) has developed a new technique that, for the first time, reveals how electrons are organized inside materials with an unprecedented level of detail. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-key-material-properties-atom.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news705237421 Carbon dioxide is often viewed as a major contributor to climate change, but it can also become a valuable raw material. If scientists can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels using sunlight, it would provide a sustainable way to store solar energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-black-silicon-catalyst-carbon-dioxide.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:45:23 EDT news705235396 The search for leather alternatives has led researchers somewhere unexpected: fungi. Although traditional leather is durable, producing it requires animal agriculture, which carries negative environmental impacts. Meanwhile, vegan alternatives are typically made from petroleum-based plastics that are difficult to recycle. Researchers report in ACS Applied Bio Materials that mycelium, the underground network of fibers below mushroom caps, can be pressed into a durable yet compostable leather-like fabric. They even sewed the fabric into a purse. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-handbag-mushrooms.html Biochemistry Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:40:06 EDT news705229201 A research team has developed a highly efficient catalyst that directly converts carbon dioxide—a major contributor to global warming—into high-value industrial 2-propanol. The research was published online in Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-catalyst-high-industrial-chemical-room.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news705162834 Ceramic materials are used everywhere, from smartphones and computers to electric vehicles and renewable energy systems. These materials are used in a wide range of technologies because of their unique electrical, magnetic and thermal properties. However, discovering new ceramic compositions with better performance remains a significant challenge because each candidate material must typically be synthesized and tested individually, involving multiple labor-intensive steps. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-discovery-ceramic-materials-cellulose-nanofiber.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:00:01 EDT news705161821 With annual production of around 1 million metric tons (1.1 million tons), formic acid is one of the most important basic chemicals and is used, among other things, as an additive in the animal feed industry. It is also increasingly attracting attention as an H2 carrier. To date, its production has relied on fossil raw materials, which are to be replaced in the long term by sustainable raw materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hydrogen-bio-based-formic-acid.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:26:09 EDT news705162347 Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil. Published Aug. 5 in the journal Nature, the research could help address two environmental challenges: recycling one of the world's most difficult plastics and producing a valuable industrial material. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-world-difficult-plastics-premium-lubricant.html Polymers Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:07 EDT news705067441 Researchers from Skoltech, SberUniversity, the M.N. Mikheev Institute of Metal Physics of UB RAS and Ural Federal University have published a review of a novel approach to interpreting chemical bonding in solids. The method not only describes crystals in terms of precise calculations but also enables chemists to reclaim explanatory models that are intuitively meaningful to them. The insights that emerge span long-documented anomalies that previously lacked a theoretical account. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-chemical-bond-analysis-solids.html Materials Science Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:40:06 EDT news705140041 Research in the International Journal of Materials and Product Technology describes a metal-free dye-fixing process that could help make natural plant dyes more practical for high-performance textiles, addressing a longstanding obstacle to their wider use in sustainable clothing. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-metal-free-dyes-durable-textiles.html Materials Science Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:40:03 EDT news705071139 A research team led by professor Yousung Jung from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering has developed a new catalyst design principle that suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction, which interferes with ammonia production, while maintaining the nitrogen reduction reaction that produces ammonia. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-catalyst-suppresses-hydrogen-reaction-ammonia.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 04 Aug 2026 18:40:03 EDT news705083041 University of British Columbia researchers have developed an edible, seaweed-derived coating that can keep strawberries fresh for at least four days at room temperature, outperforming uncoated berries stored in the refrigerator. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-seaweed-derived-coating-strawberries-fresher.html Biochemistry Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:40:05 EDT news705064321 A joint research team led by Professor Su-Il In of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST and Professor William A. Goddard III of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has significantly improved the performance of a sunlight-driven photocatalyst for converting carbon dioxide into methane by integrating two distinct cocatalysts and elucidating the underlying mechanism. The paper is published in the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environment and Energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-key-photocatalyst-technology-greenhouse-gases.html Materials Science Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:20:03 EDT news705056524 A multidisciplinary team of JCU scientists published research in the journal Minerals Engineering, describing the extent of Queensland's rare earth element resources and exploring more sustainable methods of rare earth element (REE) extraction. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-critical-minerals-queensland-combine-rare.html Materials Science Tue, 04 Aug 2026 12:20:03 EDT news705056288