Modeling surface chemistry and predicting new materials

The ruddy flakes of a rusted nail are a sure sign that an undesirable chemical reaction has occurred at the surface. Understanding how molecules and atoms behave with each other, especially at surfaces, is central to managing ...

Turning paper industry waste into chemicals

Researchers at the KU Leuven Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis have found a more eco-friendly way to derive lignin - a paper industry waste product - from wood and convert it into chemical building blocks. The resulting ...

How to cut a vortex into slices

A lot of problems associated with the mixing of the liquid in the microchannels could be solved via proper organization of the inhomogeneous slip on the walls of these channels. This is the conclusion of a joint group of ...

Superhydrophobic glass coating offers clear benefits

A moth's eye and lotus leaf were the inspirations for an antireflective water-repelling, or superhydrophobic, glass coating that holds significant potential for solar panels, lenses, detectors, windows, weapons systems and ...

Did ocean acidification cause marine mollusc extinction?

New research, led by the University of Southampton, has questioned the role played by ocean acidification, produced by the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, in the extinction of ammonites and other planktonic calcifiers ...

Many uses in researching quantum dots

It's easier to dissolve a sugar cube in a glass of water by crushing the cube first, because the numerous tiny particles cover more surface area in the water than the cube itself. In a way, the same principle applies to the ...

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