Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Attosecond physics: Quantum brakes in molecules
Physicists have measured the flight times of electrons emitted from a specific atom in a molecule upon excitation with laser light. This has enabled them to measure the influence of...
The best handheld leaf blowers for your home and yard
Keep your yard tidy. (Stephan Zabini via Unsplash/)After a windy night, a snow storm, or a blitz of yard work, the amount of debris on your sidewalk, deck and lawn can be...
Construction of hollow nanoreactors for enhanced photo-oxidations
Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids is of importance in both organic chemistry and the chemical industry because the oxidation products can be used to prepare various pharmaceuticals and...
Molecule-plasmon coupling strength tunes surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectral lineshapes
Plasmon-enhanced molecular spectroscopies have attracted tremendous attention as powerful detection tools with ultrahigh sensitivity down to the single-molecule level. The optical response of molecules in the vicinity of nanostructures with...
Researchers breaking new ground in 2-D materials
A study by a team of researchers from Canada and Italy recently published in Nature Materials could usher in a revolutionary development in materials science, leading to big changes in...
4-D electric circuit network with topology
In recent years, topology has emerged as an important tool to classify and characterize properties of materials. It has been found that many materials exhibit a number of unusual topological...
Breakthrough in research on production of 2-D crystals with excellent optical properties
For the first time, monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides with excellent optical properties were grown. A team of physicists from the University of Warsaw managed to overcome the technical difficulties...
2-D molecular crystals modulating electronic properties of organic semiconductors
Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are the heart of plastic electronics. Doping has been shown to improve the performance of OFETs effectively. There are two major ways of doping OSCs.
Five things you absolutely need to start grilling
Weber Original Premium 22-inch charcoal grill (Jonathon Kambouris/)CookThe Weber Original Premium 22-inch charcoal grill hasn’t changed much since 1952, save for a few modern improvements. The biggest: An aluminum basin below the kettle...
Hierarchical self-assembly of atomically precise nanoclusters
Metal nanoclusters are an emerging class of modular nanomaterials owing to their atomically precise structures, fascinating properties, and potential applications. The subject of cluster-based supramolecular assembly represents one of the...
Intermolecular vibrational energy transfer via microcavity strong light-matter coupling
Strong coupling between cavity photon modes and donor/acceptor molecules can form polaritons (hybrid particles made of a photon strongly coupled to an electric dipole) to facilitate selective vibrational energy transfer between molecules in...
Iridium and 2-methylphenanthroline accelerate catalytic borylation reactions
A team of researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that 2-methylphenanthroline can be used with iridium to accelerate catalytic borylation reactions. In their paper published in the...
A new understanding of everyday cellular processes
We use cells to breathe, to moderate body temperature, to grow and many other every day processes, however the cells in these processes are so complex its left scientists perplexed...
A new plasma engine will allow less expensive, more efficient, and longer space missions
Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have patented a new spatial plasma-fueled engine capable of satellite and spacecraft propulsion, with magnetic field geometry and configuration that would minimize...
Photon discovery is a major step toward large-scale quantum technologies
A team of physicists at the University of Bristol has developed the first integrated photon source with the potential to deliver large-scale quantum photonics.
Molybdenum telluride nanosheets enable selective electrochemical production of hydrogen peroxide
H2O2 is an important commodity chemical and potential energy carrier, and is widely used for various environmental, medical and household applications. At present, about 99% of H2O2 is produced from...
Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials
For engineers developing new materials or protective coatings, there are billions of different possibilities to sort through. Lab tests or even detailed computer simulations to determine their exact properties, such as toughness, can...
A new artificial eye mimics and may outperform human eyes
Scientists can’t yet rebuild someone with bionic body parts. They don’t have the technology. But a new artificial eye brings cyborgs one step closer to reality. This device, which mimics the human eye’s...
Met Gala 2020 officially canceled amid pandemic
The Costume Institute canceled its annual benefit but will open the "About Time: Fashion and Duration" exhibit in October.
Elucidating the mechanism of a light-driven sodium pump
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have succeeded for the first time in recording a light-driven sodium pump from bacterial cells in action. The findings promise progress in the...
Researchers build hybrid quantum system by entangling molecule with atom
Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have boosted their control of the fundamental properties of molecules at the quantum level by linking or "entangling" an electrically charged...
Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials
For engineers developing new materials or protective coatings, there are billions of different possibilities to sort through. Lab tests or even detailed computer simulations to determine their exact properties, such...
Study yields breakthroughs in understanding failure of high-performance fibers
Pull 'n' peel. For many, the phrase probably conjures the signature bundles of red licorice (and the only real way to eat them). To material scientists like the University of...
Electrons break rotational symmetry in exotic low-temp superconductor
This odd behavior may promote the material's ability upon cooling to perfectly conduct electricity in a way unexplained by standard theories.
Pro-level hair clippers for precision cuts
For an at-home hair touchup. (Firza Pratama via Unsplash/)Cutting your own hair or asking a friend or partner to help you cut it can be a bit scary. There’s definitely the possibility...
New integrated device for nanometer-scale sensing
Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a new, integrated optical sensor that provides increased resolution in measurements and paves the way for fully integrated and compact optical sensors...
Researchers discover high-performance biocatalyst for the production of naturally derived drugs
In the bioeconomy, biotechnological processes are replacing processes that rely on fossil resources. Microorganisms and enzymes are being used in targeted fashion as biocatalysts for industrial production. Researchers at the...
Breaking down stubborn cellulose in timelapse
Researchers at TU Graz in Austria have for the first time ever succeeded in visualizing at the single-molecule level the processes involved in a biological nanomachine, known as the cellulosome,...