A new class of polymers to clean up mercury pollution that can be produced sustainably on a large scale from elemental sulfur and renewable plant oils. Mercury pollution is a serious and…
Category: Chemistry
Ultrasound device improves charge and run time in lithium metal batteries
Researchers at UC San Diego bring lithium metal batteries one step closer to commercialization with their new ultrasound device. Lithium metal batteries are considered a long sought-after energy powerhouse with the potential…
Searching for a needle in the haystack: Fast screening for new catalysts
Electrocatalysts belong to a special class of catalysts that facilitate chemical reactions through the transfer of electrons. Over the past several decades, their applications have extended beyond the laboratory to creating electronic…
Printing in color with photoswitchable polymers
Azopolymer material allows light-assisted imprinting of nanostructures for structurally colored surfaces. In the natural world, color is produced through pigments, bioluminescence, and structure. Though perhaps less widely known, structural colors are produced…
CRISPR cleans up DNA origami
Researchers use CRISPR-Cas12a as a DNA shredder to clean up and mobilize parts of DNA-origami structures. DNA origami is the folding of DNA strands into precise shapes on the nanoscale. The technique…
Scientists observe ultrafast proton transfer reaction
X-rays capture the ultrafast proton transfer reaction in ionized liquid water, forming the hydroxyl radical and the hydronium ion. One of the earliest mechanisms we learn in organic chemistry is the proton…
A Switchable Catalyst Based on a Molecular Motor
The first switchable catalyst for asymmetric catalysis based on a molecular motor. In chemistry, chirality refers to a molecule that exists in two forms that are mirror images to one another—much like…
Beyond gene editing: A new role for CRISPR
A new use for the revolutionary gene-splicing tool. This new “Electrochemical CRISPR” can quickly and accurately identify viral biomarkers for a range of diseases, including HPV and Parvovirus. CRISPR gene editing tools…