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. Using a range of advanced characterization techniques, researchers say they have developed a novel method with the potential to produce hydrogen from seawater using a process that requires less energy, resists corrosion and could support more economical hydrogen production. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hydrogen-production-seawater-catalyst-energy.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 26 Oct 2026 16:00:09 EDT news712248317 Superconductivity has many important practical applications, including creating powerful magnets used in high-resolution medical scans, transporting electricity efficiently and building ultrasensitive measuring devices. Until now, understanding exactly what lay behind this unique phenomenon at high temperatures has eluded scientists over many decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-gun-mystery-high-temperature-superconductivity.html Superconductivity Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:00:07 EDT news711718201 Graphene is an exceptionally useful material for creating batteries, catalysts and electronic devices. Yet producing graphene typically requires temperatures as high as 900°C (1,652°F), limiting energy efficiency and making structural control difficult. To make graphene production more practical, a recent study has overcome this long-standing temperature barrier. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-temperature-graphene-growth-route-sustainable.html Nanomaterials Fri, 28 Aug 2026 15:40:02 EDT news707128446 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 A joint research group from Tohoku University, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University and the Japan Fine Ceramics Center has developed a thermal catalyst that exhibits high carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation activity under low-temperature conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ligand-strategy-nanocluster-catalysts.html Nanomaterials Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:20:03 EDT news702890090 A research team from Tohoku University and Kyocera Corp. has developed a new magneto-optical material—a nanocomposite magnetic garnet film—that can be deposited directly onto silicon substrates while delivering a magneto-optical figure of merit four times higher than conventional polycrystalline films. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-silicon-compatible-nanocomposite-garnet-enables.html Nanophysics Tue, 16 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news700829521 Microplastic (MP) pollution poses a major concern, especially in aquatic environments, necessitating efficient detection technologies to safeguard marine life as well as human health. However, conventional detection methods like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy require complex equipment and are often time-consuming, limiting their applicability for real-time monitoring. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-metal-oxide-electrodes-enable-rapid.html Materials Science Thu, 19 Feb 2026 08:10:01 EST news690709334 Most of the drugs, plastics, and industrial materials widely used today are produced through chemical reactions. In general, most high-performance and sophisticated substances have complex structures, and their assembly involves multiple chemical reaction steps carried out one after another. This creates significant overhead, as each step requires specific conditions, reagents, and catalysts, as well as considerable energy and labor. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-catalyst-reactions-multiple-reaction-vessel.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 21 Aug 2025 09:44:03 EDT news674988241 Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered that the size of catalytic nanoparticles determines how their shape and structure transform during chemical reactions. With insights into the nanoparticles' atomic-scale behavior as they convert carbon dioxide into useful fuel—and a better understanding of how structural changes impact catalytic performance—researchers are newly positioned to design more effective catalysts for industrial applications. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-tiny-catalytic-particles-carbon-dioxide.html Nanophysics Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:46:06 EDT news673771558 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are helping to reduce the nation's dependence on critical minerals and increase energy efficiency by improving the performance and longevity of catalysts for a variety of industrial applications. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-industrial-catalytic-efficient.html Materials Science Tue, 15 Jul 2025 08:26:10 EDT news671786762 An international team of scientists led by Rice University's Pengcheng Dai has confirmed the existence of emergent photons and fractionalized spin excitations in a rare quantum spin liquid. Published in Nature Physics on June 19, their findings identify the crystalline compound cerium zirconium oxide (Ce₂Zr₂O₇) as a clear 3D realization of this exotic state of matter. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-physicists-elusive-quantum-liquid.html Condensed Matter Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:49:03 EDT news669908942 A research team led by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) designed and fabricated catalysts that can increase the speed of carbon monoxide oxidation by nine times. Carbon monoxide oxidation is an important reaction used in numerous chemical industry and environmental cleaning applications. The cutting-edge fabrication approach involved making precise, atomic-level changes in catalysts to create new, performance-boosting chemical properties. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-platinum-atoms-precision-catalyst-efficiency.html Materials Science Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:09:20 EDT news668347754 A research team has developed a "next-generation AI electronic nose" capable of distinguishing scents like the human olfactory system does and analyzing them using artificial intelligence. This technology converts scent molecules into electrical signals and trains AI models on their unique patterns. It holds great promise for applications in personalized health care, the cosmetics industry, and environmental monitoring. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-ai-powered-electronic-nose-diverse.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 02 May 2025 11:43:04 EDT news665404982 National University of Singapore (NUS) chemists have developed an "anchoring-borrowing" strategy, combined with facet engineering, to develop a new class of artful single-atom catalysts (ASACs). These catalysts are formed by anchoring foreign single atoms onto specific facets of reducible support materials, allowing them to bypass the traditional oxidative addition step in cross-coupling reactions, which are widely used in the fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-artful-atom-catalysts-enable-sustainable.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:25:04 EDT news663859502 Preparing catalysts by sending hot, steamy car exhaust over them could improve their efficiency and reduce the amount of rare and expensive metals required in vehicle catalytic converters and many other emission control and industrial processes. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-serendipitous-discovery-boosts-catalyst-efficiency.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 09 Apr 2025 11:01:14 EDT news663415261 Researchers in South Korea have developed a cobalt-iron (CoFe)-based non-noble metal ammonia decomposition catalyst, advancing eco-friendly hydrogen production. The work is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-efficient-hydrogen-production-cofe-based.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 05 Mar 2025 12:52:37 EST news660401554 Epoxy resins are coatings and adhesives used in a broad range of familiar applications, such as construction, engineering and manufacturing. However, they often present a challenge to recycle or dispose of responsibly. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-recycling-unrecyclable-method-reclaims-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:42:03 EST news658068121 Noble metals such as platinum can make useful catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions, particularly hydrogenation (adding hydrogen atoms to a molecule). A research team led by Professor Bruce Gates at the UC Davis Department of Chemical Engineering is interested in making platinum catalysts that are highly efficient and stable during chemical reactions. https://phys.org/news/2025-01-nanoislands-platinum-catalyst-efficiency.html Nanomaterials Wed, 29 Jan 2025 15:54:02 EST news657388441 Catalysts are the keys to speeding up sluggish reactions that require large amounts of energy. Therefore, analyzing which types of catalysts speed up reactions the most and what their underlying mechanisms are can help us improve efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-spinel-oxides-reveals-pathways-electrocatalyst.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 21 Nov 2024 04:48:40 EST news651386917 For the first time, an international cadre of electrical engineers has developed a new method for photonic in-memory computing that could make optical computing a reality in the near future. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-multi-breakthrough-optical-faster-efficient.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:44:24 EDT news648913460 The 2011 accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant in Japan inspired extensive research and analysis that elevated nuclear energy into a standard bearer for safety. It also inspired a number of studies at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. Scientists want to look more closely at nuclear fuel materials to better understand how they will behave at extremely high temperatures. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-nuclear-fuel-liquid-plutonium-oxide.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Sep 2024 15:35:10 EDT news644769307 The ceramic produced in Prof. Igor Lubomirsky's lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science seemed too good to be true. It belongs to a class of materials that are the backbone of many essential technologies but that unfortunately also create an environmental problem because they usually contain lead, which is highly toxic. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-nontoxic-ceramic-based-electronic-components.html Materials Science Sat, 24 Aug 2024 06:50:01 EDT news643545694 A new study reveals significant alterations in growth, photosynthetic activity, and gene expression of freshwater algae due to cerium oxide nanoparticles. This research highlights the complex interactions between these microscopic pollutants and key aquatic producers, providing essential insights into the ecological impacts of nanomaterial pollution. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-ceo-nanoparticles-edged-sword-aquatic.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 22 Aug 2024 14:33:03 EDT news643555981 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborating institutions have engineered a highly selective catalyst that can convert methane, a major component of natural gas, into methanol, an easily transportable liquid fuel, in a single, one-step reaction. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-highly-catalyst-enables-conversion-methane.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 22 Aug 2024 12:03:04 EDT news643546981 Ruddlesden-Popper compounds are a class of materials with a special layered structure that makes them interesting for numerous applications—as superconductors or catalysts, for example, or for use in photovoltaics. There have been many halides and oxides of this structural type before now, but no nitrides. Although scientists expected Ruddlesden-Popper nitrides to have outstanding material properties, they were unable to actually manufacture them. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-synthetic-pathway-nitride-compounds.html Materials Science Thu, 27 Jun 2024 09:21:25 EDT news638698883 Chemists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University (SBU), and their collaborators have uncovered new details of the reversible assembly and disassembly of a platinum catalyst. The new understanding may offer clues to the catalyst's stability and recyclability. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-reveals-reversible-platinum-catalyst.html Nanomaterials Mon, 03 Jun 2024 16:08:30 EDT news636649705 Science is taking a step forward in the quest for superconductors that will not require ultra-high pressure to function, thanks to multinational research led by Xiaojia Chen at the University of Houston. https://phys.org/news/2024-04-hydride-frontiers-accessible-superconductivity.html Condensed Matter Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:02:03 EDT news633610921 By design, synthetic molecules typically have specific jobs to prevent or accelerate reactions between other molecules. To help control more complicated reactions, researchers may harness spare space in one molecule to synthesize another chemical structure. The host-guest assembly can better induce the specific desired reaction than either component individually—if the scientists designing the assembly get it right. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-lodger-host-guest-reactivity.html Nanomaterials Fri, 15 Mar 2024 14:11:07 EDT news629730665 Qubits are the building block for quantum technology, and finding or building qubits that are stable and easily manipulated is one of the central goals of quantum technology research. Scientists have found that an atom of erbium—a rare-earth metal sometimes used in lasers or to color glass—can be a very effective qubit. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-techniques-qubits-erbium.html Condensed Matter Thu, 08 Feb 2024 11:07:49 EST news626612861 Oxidation is the process where atoms lose electrons during a chemical reaction. Among the radioactive elements, neptunium and plutonium are much harder to oxidize than uranium. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-radioactive-neptunium-plutonium-chemistry.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:17:18 EST news619697835