Latest science news in Physics & Chemistry
Boron nitride destroys PFAS 'forever' chemicals PFOA, GenX
Chemical engineers have discovered a photocatalyst that can destroy 99% of the 'forever' chemical PFOA in laboratory tests on polluted water. Researchers showed the boron nitride catalyst also destroys GenX,...
Clean energy grids and electric vehicles key to beating climate change and air pollution
Any uptake in electric vehicle use must be mirrored by the development of clean energy grids to mitigate both climate change and air pollution.
Solar-powered chargers that will keep your battery full while off the grid
There's a lot more battery life in the sun. (Ferran Feixas via Unsplash/)Keeping your phone charged can be a challenge, especially when you are out and about. Plugging in your phone during...
Mussel-inspired polymer glue sticks to wet surfaces
New adhesive can be applied and cured with UV light in a range of salty and acidic conditions
Heat will stay stuck on extra high for July in most of US
The heat is on. And for most of America it'll stay on through the rest of the month and maybe longer, meteorologists say.
Boron nitride destroys 'forever' chemicals PFOA, GenX
Rice University chemical engineers found an efficient catalyst for destroying PFAS "forever" chemicals where they least expected.
What makes ships mysteriously slow down or stop, even though engines are running?
What makes ships mysteriously slow down or even stop as they travel, even though their engines are working properly? This was first observed in 1893 and was described experimentally in...
Scientists observe catalyst during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis for the first time
Suitable catalysts are of great importance for efficient power-to-X applications—but the molecular processes occurring during their use have not yet been fully understood. Using X-rays from a synchrotron particle accelerator,...
Shock-dissipating fractal cubes could forge high-tech armor
Tiny, 3-D printed cubes of plastic, with intricate fractal voids built into them, have proven to be effective at dissipating shockwaves, potentially leading to new types of lightweight armor and...
New room-temperature liquid-metal battery could be the path to powering the future
Researchers have created a new liquid battery with components that can remain molten at room temperature. Other liquid batteries must be kept at 240 degrees Celsius for their components to...
Liquid crystal integrated metalens for versatile color focus
A research team recently demonstrated active manipulation of chromatic dispersion, achieving achromatic focusing within a designated broadband.
Scientists introduce new method for machine learning classifications in quantum computing
Quantum information scientists have introduced a new method for machine-learning classifications in quantum computing. The non-linear quantum kernels in a quantum binary classifier provide new insights for improving the accuracy...
Physicist optimizes DNA microscopy technique to improve imaging speed, add color
Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy can be used to visualize structures smaller than 200 nanometers, i.e., below the diffraction limit of light. One of the microscopy techniques, called DNA-PAINT, was developed by...
Engineers use electricity to clean up toxic water
Powerful electrochemical process destroys water contaminants, such as pesticides. Wastewater is a significant environment issue. Researchers say the technology could be readily applied to the wine industry, paper processing and...
Contest between superconductivity and insulating states in Magic Angle Graphene
A team of researchers develop a set of entirely novel knobs to control correlated electrons and demonstrate that superconductivity can exist without insulating phases in Magic Angle Twisted Bi-layer Graphene.
Scientists create new device to light up the way for quantum technologies
Researchers have created an innovative new device that will emit single particles of light, or photons, from quantum dots that are the key to practical quantum computers, quantum communications, and...
Limitations of super-resolution microscopy overcome
The smallest cell structures can now be imaged even better: The combination of two microscopy methods makes fluorescence imaging with molecular resolution possible for the first time.
Microscopic structures could improve perovskite solar cells
Solar cells based on perovskite compounds could soon make electricity generation from sunlight even more efficient and cheaper. The laboratory efficiency of these perovskite solar cells already exceeds that of...
Excitation of robust materials
So-called topological materials have special electronic properties, which are very robust against external perturbations. In tungsten ditelluride such a topologically protected state can be ''broken up'' using special laser pulses...
On-chip spin-Hall nanograting for simultaneously detecting phase and polarization singularities
A plasmonic spin-Hall nanograting structure that simultaneously detects both the polarization and phase singularities of the incident beam is reported. The nanograting is symmetry-breaking with different periods for the upper...
Flashes bright when squeezed tight: How single-celled organisms light up the oceans
Research explains how a unicellular marine organism generates light as a response to mechanical stimulation, lighting up breaking waves at night.
Examining trapped ion technology for next generation quantum computers
Quantum computers (QC) are poised to drive important advances in several domains, including medicine, material science and internet security. While current QC systems are small, several industry and academic efforts...
For cleaner air, water, and soil
The air around us is getting more and more polluted. No wonder many scientists strive to find a way to purify it. Thanks to the work of an international team...
The limitations of super-resolution microscopy overcome
With high-resolution microscopy, it is theoretically possible to image cell structures with a resolution of a few nanometres. However, this has not yet been possible in practice.
'Growing' active sites on quantum dots for robust hydrogen photogeneration
Very recently, Chinese researchers had achieved site- and spatial- selective integration of earth-abundant metal ions (e.g., Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+) in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) for efficient and robust photocatalytic H2...
Contest between superconductivity and insulating states in 'magic angle' graphene
If you stack two layers of graphene one on top of the other, and rotate them at an angle of 1.1º (no more and no less) from each other—the so-called...
Machine learning reveals vulnerabilities in 3D-printed carbon-fiber composites
Components made of glass- and carbon- fiber reinforced composites, soaring in high-performance applications, can be 3D printed. A team of researchers has found that the printer head toolpaths are easy...
Researchers develop novel approach to modeling yet-unconfirmed rare nuclear process
Researchers have taken a major step toward a theoretical first-principles description of neutrinoless double-beta decay. Observing this yet-unconfirmed rare nuclear process would have important implications for particle physics and cosmology....