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. Scientists have adapted a centuries-old principle of chemistry to fine-tune a new type of glass made from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)—metal atoms connected by organic molecules—that efficiently trap gases like CO₂ and hydrogen and even capture water. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-generation-glass.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 04 May 2026 13:40:02 EDT news697117081 A catalyst developed by a Washington State University research team efficiently converts abundant, renewable ethanol into valuable molecules needed for production of plastics, fuels, and everyday products. The advance could someday make it easier to use renewables rather than petrochemicals to make common products. Led by Regents Professor Yong Wang, the researchers, including from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), report on their work in the journal, Chem Catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-atoms-renewables-viable-plastics-fuels.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:20:01 EDT news693133742 Jessica Rimsza, a materials engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, sees untapped potential in what most people see as waste. Food scraps, manure and sewage are natural byproducts of the U.S. agricultural industry. They are also rich in biogas, a mixture that contains methane and other valuable chemicals. Rimsza and a team of researchers at Sandia are developing chemistry that could help capture methane from biogas and separate it from other gases so it can be put to good use. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-porous-liquids-capture-methane-biogas.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:10:01 EST news690566931 Concrete is all around you—in the foundation of your home, the bridges you drive over, the sidewalks and buildings of cities. It is often described as the second-most used material by volume on Earth after water. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-polymers-earth-cement-climate-friendly.html Materials Science Sun, 15 Feb 2026 11:00:03 EST news690124754 Generative AI models have been used to create enormous libraries of theoretical materials that could help solve all kinds of problems. Now, scientists just have to figure out how to make them. In many cases, materials synthesis is not as simple as following a recipe in the kitchen. Factors like the temperature and length of processing can yield huge changes in a material's properties that make or break its performance. That has limited researchers' ability to test millions of promising model-generated materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-generative-ai-scientists-complex-materials.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 02 Feb 2026 05:00:03 EST news689003972 An innovative product with the potential to replace polymers used in soil fertilizers is being developed in São Carlos in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-starch-sachets-fertilizer-manner-petroleum.html Biotechnology Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:58:18 EST news687545882 In a study published in Nature Chemical Engineering, a team has developed a kinetic decoupling-recoupling (KDRC) strategy that enables the conversion of polyethylene (PE) to ethylene and propylene with a yield of 79%. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-kinetic-decoupling-recoupling-strategy-enables.html Polymers Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:38:28 EST news683984281 An international team of researchers have found a better way to separate two rare and important gases—xenon and krypton—that are often combined in chemical, petrochemical, metallurgical, and environmental processes. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-silver-infused-zeolite-efficiently-xenon.html Analytical Chemistry Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:51:22 EST news683815861 An eco-friendly system capable of producing propylene oxide (PO) without external electricity or sunlight has been developed. PO is a vital raw material used in manufacturing household items such as polyurethane for sofas and mattresses, as well as polyester for textiles and water bottles. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-key-plastic-ingredient-house-generated.html Polymers Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:45:21 EST news681738311 Some industrial processes used to create useful chemicals require heat, but heating methods are often inefficient, partly because they heat a greater volume of space than they really need to. Researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, devised a way to limit heating to the specific areas required in such situations. Their technique uses microwaves, not unlike those used in home microwave ovens, to excite specific elements dispersed in the materials to be heated. Their system proved to be around 4.5 times more efficient than current methods. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-microwave-technique-energy-efficient-chemical.html Analytical Chemistry Fri, 10 Oct 2025 14:00:01 EDT news679312408 If you have ever cooked on a gas stove or seen a flame flicker to life with the turn of a knob, you have seen natural gas in action. Supplying that energy at scale, however, is far more complicated. Today, natural gas is mostly stored under high pressure or cooled into liquid at -162°C—both methods that are energy-intensive and costly. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-ice-amino-acids-methane-minutes.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 02 Oct 2025 09:06:05 EDT news678614761 Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered new materials and a new process that could advance the ever-escalating quest to make smaller, faster and affordable microchips used across modern electronics—in everything from cellphones to cars, appliances to airplanes. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-circuits-invisible-naked-eye-technique.html Nanomaterials Thu, 11 Sep 2025 05:00:01 EDT news676783109 Serina Diniega always wanted to plant an avocado tree at her Altadena home, but now she worries the creamy green fruit might pose a threat. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-tainted-soil-la-residents-nature.html Environment Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:00:17 EDT news676109905 Scientists from National Taiwan University have developed a new nanomaterial-based system that dramatically improves the detection of a wide range of psychoactive substances, including emerging designer drugs. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-generation-nanomaterial-efficient-multidrug-screening.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:32:50 EDT news675354766 Researchers at Texas A&M University have uncovered how to more efficiently convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful fuels and chemicals, offering a potential boost to both environmental sustainability and local economies. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-circular-chemistry-approach-carbon-dioxide.html Materials Science Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:38:50 EDT news673529925 A charcoal-like material made from leaves and branches that collect on forest floors could be a cheap, sustainable way to keep pollution from washing off roadways and into Georgia's lakes and rivers. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-biochar-naturally-pollution-georgia-roads.html Environment Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:50:07 EDT news671381310 Researchers from the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology (APM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that water can activate previously "NMR-invisible" aluminum in ultra-stable Y (USY) zeolite, a critical material in catalysis. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-hidden-aluminum-sites-zeolite-catalysis.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:37:03 EDT news670750621 Wet wastes, including food waste and biomass, are promising candidates for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production due to their triglyceride content, which can be converted into biocrude via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). https://phys.org/news/2025-07-nanocatalysts-enable-conversion-derived-biocrude.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 03 Jul 2025 04:30:02 EDT news670735728 One of Earth's most common nanomaterials is facilitating breakthroughs in tackling climate change: clay. In a new study, researchers at Purdue University, in collaboration with experts from Sandia National Laboratories, have potentially uncovered a game-changing method for using clay to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air to help mitigate climate change. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-clay-based-nanomaterials-solution-capture.html Nanomaterials Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:06:04 EDT news668264761 Extensive industrial catalytic applications have shown that the confined nano-channels of zeolites can precisely regulate molecular diffusion and metal cluster migration, effectively enhancing catalyst activity, selectivity, and stability. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-zeolite-nanopore-links-crystal-size.html Nanomaterials Wed, 28 May 2025 14:38:03 EDT news667661881 Zinc chromite (ZnCrOx) oxides coupled with zeolites (OXZEO) have shown great promise as the catalyst for the direct conversion of syngas into light olefins. However, identifying the specific active sites for this reaction remains elusive due to the structural complexity of the ZnCrOx composite oxides. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-chemists-sites-enabling-syngas-conversion.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 27 May 2025 15:13:03 EDT news667577582 Propane dehydrogenation is a key industrial route to producing propylene without relying on oil. However, its current production processes rely heavily on precious-metal catalysts such as Pt-based materials. Developing efficient alternatives using Earth-abundant metals has remained a challenge. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-cobalt-catalyst-rivals-platinum-key.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 20 May 2025 15:29:03 EDT news666973742 As industries seek innovative solutions for carbon capture, scientists have turned to advanced materials that efficiently trap and store carbon dioxide (CO₂) from industrial emissions. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-carbon-physical-probing-material.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 13 May 2025 11:20:04 EDT news666353430 Increasingly stricter regulations on emissions from lean-burn engines, such as the Euro 7 standard, are approaching. This requires the development of catalytic materials that can reduce the toxic nitrogen oxides efficiently at low temperatures. Researchers at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, together with industrial partner Umicore, now present a study showing how machine learning could help engines run cleaner. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-ai-powered-advances-copper-zeolite.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 30 Apr 2025 11:56:04 EDT news665232961 A collaborative research effort between UNIST and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has led to the successful synthesis of three novel porous materials by leveraging a data-driven structure prediction algorithm. These newly developed materials, modeled after zeolites, represent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with exceptional selectivity in gas separation, particularly for carbon dioxide (CO₂). https://phys.org/news/2025-04-driven-algorithm-yields-unique-zifs.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:26:02 EDT news665141161 Methyl methoxyacetate and methyl formate, two of the most important carbonyl‐containing chemicals, can be produced directly by zeolite‐catalyzed carbonylation and disproportionation of DMM, using a heterogeneous catalyst, and with near 100% selectivity for each process. Methyl methoxyacetate, the DMM carbonylation production, could be easily converted to glycolic acid, methyl glycolate and monoethylene glycol. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-zeolite-catalyst-enables-sustainable-production.html Polymers Thu, 03 Apr 2025 15:51:10 EDT news662914266 A novel "zeolite blending" method has successfully produced CON-type zeolites with unprecedentedly high aluminum content, report researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo. By combining multiple zeolite precursors to guide the synthesis process, this innovative strategy overcomes long-standing limitations in controlling aluminum content in zeolite frameworks. The proposed approach will open new possibilities for catalyst development across various industrial applications, including petrochemical processing, fine chemicals production, and environmental remediation. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-cleaner-fuels-greener-industries-approach.html Analytical Chemistry Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:45:04 EDT news662294701 Zeolites and zeotypes are widely used in the energy and chemical industries due to their unique pore structures and excellent shape-selective catalytic properties. However, these inherent advantages also lead to diffusion limitations, preventing guest molecules from effectively accessing internal active sites and thereby hindering catalytic efficiency. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-reveal-role-zeolite-acid-site.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:58:46 EDT news661618718 A novel porous material capable of separating deuterium (D2) from hydrogen (H2) at a temperature of 120 K (-153°C) has been introduced. Notably, this temperature exceeds the liquefaction point of natural gas, which is 111 K (-162°C), by more than 10°C, thus facilitating large-scale industrial applications. This advancement presents an attractive pathway for the economical production of D2 by leveraging the existing infrastructure of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production pipelines. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-porous-material-deuterium-elevated-temperatures.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:49:31 EDT news661603767 An analysis of a 30,000-year-old fossil vulture from Central Italy has revealed for the first time that volcanic rock can preserve microscopic details in feathers—the first ever record of such a preservation. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-vulture-fossil-discovery-reveals-volcanic.html Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:00:02 EDT news661505341