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Category: chemistry – Page 63

Water-based battery offers 2,000-cycle stability

A team of chemical and biomolecular engineers, physicists and battery specialists affiliated with several institutions in the U.S. has developed a water-based battery that offers 2,000-cycle stability. In their paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the group outlines why they believe it could help bridge the gap between aqueous batteries and non-aqueous lithium-ion batteries.

The main advantage of using aqueous batteries is their safety compared to nonaqueous, . They cannot ignite unexpectedly, minimizing fire hazard. The reason that they are not common is their reduction potential limit of aqueous electrolytes, which has restricted their . Also, the current types of electrolytes they use tend to have problems with water shuttling the interface and high impedance.

In this new study, the research team has taken a step toward resolving these problems by improving ion transport and the stability of biphasic electrolytes via lithium ionophores.

New technology helps turn seawater into drinking water

Desalination can offer a relief in probably trillions of dollars of savings for countries even when drought comes.

Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking water.

A study describing the new technology has been published in Nature Water by engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University.

Pt nano-catalyst with graphene pockets enhances fuel cell durability and efficiency

The manufacturing and deployment of hybrid and electric vehicles is on the rise, contributing to ongoing efforts to decarbonize the transport industry. While cars and smaller vehicles can be powered using lithium batteries, electrifying heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks and large buses, has so far proved much more challenging.

Fuel , devices that generate electricity via , are promising solutions for powering heavy-duty vehicles. Most of the fuel cells employed so far are so-called proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), cells that generate electricity via the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, conducting protons from their anode to their cathode utilizing a solid polymer membrane.

Despite their potential, many existing fuel cells have limited lifetimes and efficiencies. These limitations have so far hindered their widespread adoption in the manufacturing of electric or hybrid trucks, buses and other heavy-truck vehicles.

Reshaping quantum dots production through continuous flow and sustainable technologies

As the demand for innovative materials continues to grow—particularly in response to today’s technological and environmental challenges—research into nanomaterials is emerging as a strategic field. Among these materials, quantum dots are attracting particular attention due to their unique properties and wide range of applications. A team of researchers from ULiège has recently made a significant contribution by proposing a more sustainable approach to the production of these nanostructures.

Quantum dots (QDs) are nanometer-sized semiconductor particles with unique optical and electronic properties. Their ability to absorb and emit light with high precision makes them ideal for use in , LEDs, medical imaging, and sensors.

In a recent study, researchers at ULiège developed the first intensified, scalable process to produce cadmium chalcogenide quantum dots (semiconducting compounds widely used in optoelectronics and nanotechnology) in water using a novel, biocompatible chalcogenide source (chemical elements such as sulfur, selenium, and tellurium).

The Immune Molecule That Rewires Your Brain — From Anxiety to Sociability

A surprising link between the immune system and brain behavior is emerging, as new research reveals how a single immune molecule can affect both anxiety and sociability depending on which brain region it acts upon.

Scientists found that IL-17 behaves almost like a brain chemical, influencing neuron activity in ways that alter mood and behavior during illness. These findings suggest the immune system plays a much deeper role in shaping our mental states than previously thought, opening new doors for treating conditions like autism and anxiety through immune-based therapies.

Immune Molecules and Brain Behavior.

Improved method for producing designer proteins prevents misfolding

Proteins are the building blocks of life. They consist of folded peptide chains, which in turn are made up of a series of amino acids. From stabilizing cell structure to catalyzing chemical reactions, proteins have many functions. Their diversity is further increased by modifications that take place after the peptide chains have been synthesized.

One form of modification is protein splicing. The protein initially contains a so-called “intein,” which removes itself from the peptide chain to ensure the correct folding and function of the final protein.

A team led by protein chemist Prof Henning Mootz and Ph.D. student Christoph Humberg from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Münster has now answered a long-standing research question: Why does a special variant of the inteins, the “split inteins,” often encounter problems in the laboratory that significantly lower the efficiency of the reaction? The researchers were able to identify protein misfolding as one cause and have developed a method to prevent it.

This Bizarre Shape-Shifting Liquid Bends The Laws of Thermodynamics

A container of oil and water separated by a thin skin of magnetized particles has intrigued a team of chemical engineers by taking on an unexpected ‘Grecian urn’ shape upon agitation.

“I thought ‘what is this thing?’,” graduate student Anthony Raykh from the University of Massachusetts Amherst recalled, after doing what all chemistry students love to do, mixing materials with intriguing properties just to see what would happen.

“So, I walked up and down the halls of the Polymer Science and Engineering Department, knocking on my professors’ doors, asking them if they knew what was going on.”

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