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Innovative research approach enables the development of new materials and applications in technology and medicine. Researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, led Nicola Pinna, have made a groundbreaking advancement in nanotechnology, successfully extending the well-known Stöber method to synthesize amorphous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and coordination polymers (CPs).

Researchers are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals. Rare earth metals are not as rare as their name suggests. However, they are indispensable for the modern economy.

A new electrolyte design for lithium metal batteries could significantly boost the range of electric vehicles. Researchers at ETH Zurich have radically reduced the amount of environmentally harmful fluorine required to stabilise these batteries. Lithium metal batteries are among the most promising candidates of the next generation of high-energy batteries.

Counterfeiters are getting increasingly more sophisticated in forging everything from diplomas and currency to medications and artwork. While protective measures such as luminescent markings - which glow under ultraviolet light - have been around for a while, forgers have figured out how to exploit the weaknesses in these techniques.

The new design approach could be used to produce metals with exceptional combinations of strength and ductility, for aerospace and other applications. Titanium alloys are essential structural materials for a wide variety of applications, from aerospace and energy infrastructure to biomedical equipment.

Study: Visible-light-mediated aza Paterné-Büchi reaction of acyclic oximes and alkenes to azetidines University of Michigan chemists have discovered a way to use visible light to synthesize a class of compounds particularly well suited for use in pharmaceuticals. The class of compounds, called azetidines, had been previously identified as a good candidate to build therapeutic drugs, but the compounds are difficult to produce in chemical reactions.

Oh dear, chemical formulas! With just a few simple tips, students can prevent stress and ruining their grade in a biology test. Structural formulas are a source of dread for many students, but they're an essential tool in biology lessons.

Using this new approach, researchers could develop drug compounds with unique pharmaceutical properties. Researchers from MIT and the University of Michigan have discovered a new way to drive chemical reactions that could generate a wide variety of compounds with desirable pharmaceutical properties.

Würzburg researchers from the Bavarian initiative Solar Technologies Go Hybrid are reporting progress on the road to more efficient utilisation of solar energy: they have developed an innovative light-harvesting system. In order to convert sunlight into electricity or other forms of energy as efficiently as possible, the very first step is an efficient light-harvesting system.

A research team from the University of Jena has developed a small optical lens, only a few millimetres in size, whose refractive behaviour changes in the presence of gas. As reported by the researchers in the journal Nature Communications, this "intelligent" behaviour of the micro-lens is enabled by the hybrid glass material from which it is made.

Using a special wafer-thin gold membrane, researchers have made it significantly easier to study surfaces. The membrane makes it possible to measure properties of surfaces that are inaccessible to conventional methods. "Surfaces were invented by the devil" - this quote is attributed to the theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who taught at ETH Zurich for many years and in 1945 received the Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to quantum mechanics.

Team aims to improve safety of fertilizers made from wastewater sludge Johns Hopkins researchers create new list of possibly toxic contaminants commonly found in biosolids nationwide Fertilizers manufactured from the sludgy leftovers of wastewater treatment processes can contain traces of potentially hazardous organic chemicals, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

A second study by analytical chemists and immunologists of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam University Medical Center (VUmc) on the presence of micro and nanoplastics in human blood confirms the team's previous findings (Leslie et al. The first study received overwhelming attention, including a lot of resistance and disbelief especially from the polymer industry.

Scientists at EPFL have developed advanced atom-thin graphene membranes with pyridinic-nitrogen at pore edges, showing unprecedented performance in CO2 capture. It marks a significant stride toward more efficient carbon capture technologies. As the world battles climate change, the need for efficient and cost-effective carbon capture technologies is more urgent than ever.

A study of 17 commonly used synthetic -forever chemicalshas shown that these toxic substances can readily be absorbed through human skin. New research, published in Environment International, proves for the first time that a wide range of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) - chemicals which do not break down in nature - can permeate the skin barrier and reach the body's bloodstream.

An international team of researchers visualises atomic interactions in the protein structure called photosystem II and thus uncovers fundamental biochemical processes. Using cryo-electron microscopy a team of scientists from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), the Swedish universities of Umeå and Uppsala and the University of Potsdam has succeeded in visualising atomic structures at an unprecedented resolution at the nanometre level underlying the process of photosynthesis.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have shown that quantum states of single electron spins can be controlled by currents of electrons whose spins are evenly aligned. In the future, this method could be used in electronic circuit elements. Electrons have an intrinsic angular momentum, the so-called spin, which means that they can align themselves along a magnetic field, much like a compass needle.

Science + Technology Findings could enable advances in sustainable energy production, industry and design Key takeaways Chemical reactions spurred with electricity are behind products essential for everyday life, and are expected to play a part in creating sustainable fuels derived from carbon dioxide.

Researchers at the National Graphene Institute have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionise energy harnessing and information computing. Their study, published in Nature , reveals how electric field effects can selectively accelerate coupled electrochemical processes in graphene. Electrochemical processes are essential in renewable energy technologies like batteries, fuel cells, and electrolysers.

A team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ÜBerkeley Lab) has invented a technique to study electrochemical processes at the atomic level with unprecedented resolution and used it to gain new insights into a popular catalyst material. Electrochemical reactions - chemical transformations that are caused by or accompanied by the flow of electric currents - are the basis of batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis, and solar-powered fuel generation, among other technologies.