Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Researchers propose novel high-performance dual-ion batteries with 3-D porous structure
Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) consisting of a graphite anode and cathode have attracted increasing attention due to their advantages of environmental friendliness, excellent cyclic stability and good safety.
Replacing lithium with sodium in batteries
An international team of scientists from NUST MISIS, Russian Academy of Science and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf has found that instead of lithium (Li), sodium (Na) "stacked" in a special way...
Chemical thermometers take temperature to the nanometric scale
The miniaturization of electronic components coupled with their increasing integration density has considerably expanded heat flows, which can lead to overheating. But measuring these nanometric events is difficult because conventional...
Letters to the Editor: O.C. schools are free to ignore the county board's coronavirus nonsense
A former member of the Fountain Valley school board says he does not remember once being concerned about the O.C. Board of Education.
UPI News Quiz: burning ship, nuclear anniversary, 'Brave New World'
A burning Navy ship, the 75th anniversary of the nuclear age, a 'Brave New World' adaptation -- how closely did you follow the headlines this week? Take the UPI News...
Chemists develop bioinspired strategy for the controlled synthesis of polyenes
They occur in nature, are reactive and play a role in many biological processes: polyenes. It is no wonder that chemists have for a long time been interested in efficiently...
Pressure washers to tackle the toughest cleaning jobs
A tough cleaner when you need it. (Amazon/)Pressure washers use high-powered jets of water to blast away dirt and grime, and make quick work of tough cleaning situations like dingy furniture, dirt-caked driveways,...
Top ceiling fans to help you beat the heat
Take one of these fans for a spin. (Helen Shi via Unsplash/)Air conditioners are expensive and evaporative coolers only work in certain environments. If you’re looking to cool down a room and...
Researchers develop new materials for energy and sensing
A team of researchers from MIT and Northwestern University has demonstrated the ability to fine-tune the electronic properties of hybrid perovskite materials, which have drawn enormous interest as potential next-generation optoelectronic materials for...
Membrane technology could cut emissions and energy use in oil refining
New membrane technology developed by a team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, and ExxonMobil could help reduce carbon emissions and energy intensity associated with...
Gel that breaks down, puts itself back together could improve delivery of oral drugs
An emerging hydrogel material with the capacity to degrade and spontaneously reform in the gastrointestinal tract could help researchers develop more effective methods for oral drug delivery. In research published...
Evidence for decades-old theory to explain the odd behaviors of water
A new study provides strong evidence for a controversial theory that at very cold temperatures water can exist in two distinct liquid forms, one being less dense and more structured...
Motorcycle makers have put a lot of work into killing bad vibrations
Yamaha’s TD1-B was heavy. Kevin Cameron surmises this is due to its engine vibration—thicker materials resist cracking. (Jay McNally/Cycle World Archives/)This story was originally featured on Cycle World.As I’ve been assembling my 1965...
Un-natural mRNAs modified with sulfur atoms boost efficient protein synthesis
A group of scientists has succeeded in the development of modified messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that contain sulfur atoms in the place of oxygen atoms of phosphate moieties of natural mRNAs....
Optical frequency combs: Coherently uniting the electromagnetic spectrum
Optical frequency combs were introduced around 20 years ago as a laser technology that could synthesize and count the ultrafast rate of the oscillating cycles of light. Functioning in a...
N-Aryl-linked spirocyclic polymers for membrane separations of complex hydrocarbon mixtures
The fractionation of crude-oil mixtures through distillation is a large-scale, energy-intensive process. Membrane materials can avoid phase changes in such mixtures and thereby reduce the energy intensity of these thermal...
Molecular square dancing in CO-CO collisions
Knowledge of rotational energy transfer (RET) involving carbon monoxide (CO) molecules is crucial for the interpretation of astrophysical data. As of now, our nearly perfect understanding of atom-molecule scattering shows...
Boron-enabled geometric isomerization of alkenes via selective energy-transfer catalysis
Isomerization-based strategies to enable the stereodivergent construction of complex polyenes from geometrically defined alkene linchpins remain conspicuously underdeveloped. Mitigating the thermodynamic constraints inherent to isomerization is further frustrated by the...
Giant piezoelectricity in oxide thin films with nanopillar structure
High-performance piezoelectric materials are critical components for electromechanical sensors and actuators. For more than 60 years, the main strategy for obtaining large piezoelectric response has been to construct multiphase boundaries,...
How energy-intensive economies can survive and thrive as the globe ramps up climate action
Today, Russia's economy depends heavily upon its abundant fossil fuel resources. Russia is one of the world's largest exporters of fossil fuels, and a number of its key exporting industries—including...
Tuning frontal polymerization for diverse material properties
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have improved the technique of frontal polymerization, where a small amount of heat triggers a moving reaction wave that produces a polymeric...
Avoiding food contamination with a durable coating for hard surfaces
A new study by engineers and food scientists demonstrates that a durable coating, made from titanium dioxide, is capable of eliminating foodborne germs, such as salmonella and E. coli, and...
Jon Hamm to star in, produce 'Fletch' reboot
"Mad Men" alum Jon Hamm will play I.M. Fletcher in a new adaptation of Gregory Mcdonald's "Fletch" mystery novels.
Louis Tomlinson reschedules world tour to 2021
Former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson announced new dates for his world tour, which was postponed due to COVID-19.
Regular arrays of silicon nanoparticles key to improving light emissions in nanophotonic devices
Nanophotonics considers how light and matter at the nanoscale interact with each other, with findings in the field being important for nanofabrication techniques and in future photonic devices. Until recently,...
New study reveals a graphene sheet behaves 'like a mirror' for water molecules
A recently published study led by Virginia Commonwealth University researchers sheds new light on how water interacts with the nanomaterial graphene, a single, thin layer of carbon atoms arranged in...
Physicists celebrate Japan collider record
University of Cincinnati physicists celebrated a new world record as part of a research team working on a Japanese particle collider.
'Blinking' crystals may convert CO2 into fuels
Imagine tiny crystals that ''blink'' like fireflies and can convert carbon dioxide, a key cause of climate change, into fuels. A team has created ultra-small titanium dioxide crystals that exhibit...