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Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are growing in adoption, used in devices like smartphones and laptops, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. But supplies of nickel and cobalt commonly used in the cathodes of these batteries are limited. New research led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ÜBerkeley Lab) opens up a potential low-cost, safe alternative in manganese, the fifth most abundant metal in the Earth's crust.

Researchers from Freie Universität Berlin examine the effects of multiple, co-acting global change factors on soil biota and functions in new "Nature Communications" study A research team from Freie Universität Berlin has discovered that soil properties are severely impacted when subjected to a large number of different environmental stressors.

A breakthrough in quantum technology research could help realise a new generation of precise quantum sensors that can operate at room temperature. The research-carried out by an international team of researchers from the University of Glasgow, Imperial College London, and UNSW Sydney-shows how the quantum states of molecules can be controlled and sensitively detected under ambient conditions.

In 1974, scientists first sounded the alarm about the destruction of the ozone layer caused by human activities. Yet it would take several more years for the global community to reach a consensus on banning ozone-depleting chemicals. At the time, Paul Crutzen and his research team played a pivotal role in bringing this issue to the world's attention.

Scientists from The University of Manchester and the University of Warwick have developed a cutting-edge computational framework that enhances the safe freezing of medicines and vaccines. Treatments such as vaccines, fertility materials, blood donations, and cancer therapies often require rapid freezing to maintain their effectiveness.

McGill researchers have harnessed the power of sunlight to transform two of the most harmful greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. The discovery could help combat climate change and provide a more sustainable way to produce certain industrial products. "Imagine a world where the exhaust from your car or emissions from a factory could be transformed, with the help of sunlight, into clean fuel for vehicles, the building blocks for everyday plastics, and energy stored in batteries," said co-first author Hui Su, a Postdoctoral Fellow in McGill's Department of Chemistry.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new way to break down a dangerous subgroup of PFAS known as PFOS. With the help of nanoparticles and ultrasound, piezocatalysis could offer an effective alternative to existing processes in the future. What do firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, water-repellent textiles and pesticides all'have in common? They all contain perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS - human-made chemicals that don't break down naturally.

It takes a lot of helpers to build up the protein complexes required for photosynthesis and to constantly repair them in strong light. Photosynthesis takes place before our eyes every day in every single little green leaf - yet the details of the complex process have not yet been fully understood. A research team at Ruhr University Bochum headed by Professor Danja Schünemann has unravelled another piece of the puzzle.

Scientists at the TU Wien and the University of Vienna have uncovered the detailed structure of the aluminum oxide surface, a challenge that has baffled researchers for decades. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3), also known as alumina, corundum, sapphire, or ruby, is one of the best insulators used in a wide range of applications: in electronic components, as a support material for catalysts, or as a chemically resistant ceramic, to name a few.

A team of researchers from Jena and Ulm have developed an innovative approach to precisely influence the properties of light-absorbing materials, so-called chromophores. They focused on specific iron compounds, demonstrating that small changes in their chemical structure can control how these compounds react to light.

Researchers from the Faculty of S&T at the University of Twente have shown a novel approach for the design of efficient solar fuel devices. Research performed by graduated PhD candidate Kaijian Zhu shows that reducing the light-induced twisting of molecules can turn hydrogen generation on. Photoelectrochemical cells are promising for the production of solar fuels, for example, the conversion of water into hydrogen or CO2 into organic molecules.

With artificial intelligence, extreme microbe reveals how life's building blocks adapt to high pressure The findings by Johns Hopkins researchers show the potential of AI to dramatically increase the speed of scientific discovery by completing calculations that would take decades using direct measurements An assist from a Google artificial intelligence tool has helped scientists discover how the proteins of a heat-loving microbe respond to the c

Newly discovered role of phase separation can help develop memory devices for energy-efficient AI computing Study: Thermodynamic origin of nonvolatility in resistive memory (DOI: 10.1016/j.matt. Phase separation, when molecules part like oil and water, works alongside oxygen diffusion to help memristors-electrical components that store information using electrical resistance-retain information even after the power is shut off, according to a University of Michigan led study recently published in Matter.

Interdisciplinary research team uses DNA microbeads to control the development of cultivated tissue A new molecular engineering technique can precisely influence the development of organoids. Microbeads made of specifically folded DNA are used to release growth factors or other signal molecules inside the tissue structures.

Publication of the Chemistry Laboratory in Nature Photonics on September 2, 2024. CNRS press release on September 4, 2024. A scintillating aerogel enabling real-time measurements with excellent sensitivity to certain radioactive gases, essential to monitoring the proper functioning of nuclear power plants, has just been developed by a group of physicists, chemists, and metrologists from the CNRS, the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, the CEA, and the ENS de Lyon.

Using neutrons, TU/e scientists visualize the internal processes of a redox flow battery. At the beginning of the 20th century, the invention of X-ray imaging provided a leap of knowledge in medical science. Since then, we can see how our body's bones work, bringing numerous new treatments to light. Now, a similar approach using neutron imaging makes it possible to visualize the internal functioning of redox flow batteries - a type of battery mainly used for large-scale storage in solar and wind energy systems.

The researchers identified an atomic-level interaction that prevents peptide bonds from being broken down by water. Collagen, a protein found in bones and connective tissue, has been found in dinosaur fossils as old as 195 million years. That far exceeds the normal half-life of the peptide bonds that hold proteins together, which is about 500 years.

University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new material that can absorb more than eight times its weight in oil, offering a new solution in preventing groundwater contamination from spills or accidents. "The current technology for oil capture is lagging," said Tizazu Mekonnen, a professor at Waterloo's Department of Chemical Engineering.

Pharmaceutical researchers often find new pharmaceutically active substances only by sifting through large collections of chemical compounds. Chemists at ETH Zurich have now made critical progress on a specific process for generating and searching these collections. Nowadays, there's lots of buzz about spectacular new medical treatments such as personalised cancer therapy with modified immune cells or antibodies.

Scientists at EPFL have developed an AI tool that creates detailed models of cellular metabolism, making it easier to understand how cells function. Understanding how cells process nutrients and produce energy - collectively known as metabolism - is essential in biology. However, analyzing the vast amounts of data on cellular processes to determine metabolic states is a complex task.