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Chemistry - Physics - 28.03.2023

Tiny materials have huge solar energy applications
Tiny materials one hundred thousand times smaller than the width of a strand of hair could be used to improve solar cell technology. A study published this month in Advanced Materials shows that materials as small as 1.2 nanometres across could function in solar cells, which harvest energy from the sun.

Health - Chemistry - 22.03.2023

Next epidemic could be spotted early in wastewater, say scientists
Bath scientists worked with the water industry and UK Health Security Agency to pilot the first UK public health surveillance system that analyses wastewater. Researchers analysing wastewater say that routine monitoring at sewage treatment works could provide a powerful early warning system for the next flu or norovirus epidemic, alerting hospitals to prepare and providing public health agencies with vital health information.

Physics - Chemistry - 14.03.2023

Nanorippled graphene becomes a catalyst
A team of researchers led by Prof. Andre Geim from the National Graphene Institute (NGI) have discovered that nanoripples in graphene can make it a strong catalyst, contrary to general expectations that the carbon sheet is as chemically inert as the bulk graphite from which it is obtained. Published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research has shown that graphene with nanoscale corrugations of its surface can accelerate hydrogen splitting as well as the best metallic-based catalysts.

Life Sciences - Chemistry - 09.03.2023

Biochemical synthesis discovery could unlock new drug development breakthroughs
A mystery about how a chemical compound found in nature could be synthesised in the lab may have been solved, scientists say - a breakthrough which could unlock new developments in medicine. Scientists from universities and research institutions in Scotland and Germany are behind the discovery, published in the journal Nature Chemistry .

Chemistry - Physics - 09.02.2023

Graphene aerogel particles for efficient water purification
Writing in the Journal of Molecular Liquids , a team led by Professor Aravind Vijayaraghavan based in the National Graphene Institute (NGI) have produced 3-dimensional particles made of graphene, of many interesting shapes, using a variation of the vortex ring effect. The same effect is used to produce smoke rings and is responsible for keeping dandelion seeds flying.

Chemistry - Physics - 06.02.2023

AI lights the way for futuristic electronics – from bendy TVs to lightweight solar cells
AI lights the way for futuristic electronics - from bendy TVs to lightweight solar cells Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming modern electronics - accelerating the design of bendable TV screens, ultra-lightweight revolutionised solar cells and more. In a study published in Nature today, scientists used a type of AI algorithm to create new molecules, suited for electronics that could come straight from a sci-fi movie.

Physics - Chemistry - 02.02.2023

New form of ice is like a snapshot of liquid water
A collaboration between scientists at Cambridge and UCL has led to the discovery of a new form of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other and may hold the key to understanding this most famous of liquids. Our discovery of MDA raises many questions on the very nature of liquid water and so understanding MDA-s precise atomic structure is very important Michael Davies The new form of ice is amorphous.

Physics - Chemistry - 02.02.2023

Discovery of new ice may change understanding of water
Researchers at UCL and the University of Cambridge have discovered a new type of ice that more closely resembles liquid water than any other known ices and that may rewrite our understanding of water and its many anomalies. The newly discovered ice is amorphous - that is, its molecules are in a disorganised form, not neatly ordered as they are in ordinary, crystalline ice.

Astronomy / Space Science - Chemistry - 24.01.2023

Space collaboration including Sussex scientist makes icy discovery which sheds light on the building blocks of life
In a development believed to shed light on the building blocks of life, an international team of scientists, including Prof Wendy Brown from the University of Sussex, has discovered diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of space so-far measured, which are around 500 light years from Earth. The discovery within a molecular cloud was made by scientists from the IceAge project, an international consortium of academics using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), to observe the building blocks of life.

Physics - Chemistry - 24.01.2023

Scientists open new window on the physics of glass formation
Research from an international team of scientists has cast new light on the physics of vitrification - the process by which glass forms. Their findings, which centre on analysis of a common feature of glasses called the boson peak, could help pave the way for new developments in materials science. The peak can be observed in glass when special equipment is used to study the vibrations of its constituent atoms, where it spikes in the terahertz range.

Chemistry - Innovation - 20.01.2023

Researchers unravel the complex reaction pathways in zero carbon fuel synthesis
Researchers have used isotopes of carbon to trace how carbon dioxide emissions could be converted into low-carbon fuels and chemicals. The result could help the chemical industry, which is the third largest subsector in terms of direct CO2 emissions, recycle its own waste using current manufacturing processes.

Environment - Chemistry - 29.12.2022

Old Christmas trees could be saved from landfill to make renewable fuels
Seven million Christmas trees end up in landfill in the UK each year, releasing an estimated 100,000 tonnes of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere New research has found a more efficient, simplified process for using pine needles to produce formic acid, for use in hydrogen fuel cells, as a food preservative and in agricultural and industrial manufacturing Pine needles collected after Christmas and processed in this way could be used to

Environment - Chemistry - 09.12.2022

Recycled gold from SIM cards could help make drugs more sustainable
Researchers have used gold extracted from electronic waste as catalysts for reactions that could be applied to making medicines. Re-using gold from electronic waste prevents it from being lost to landfill, and using this reclaimed gold for drug manufacture reduces the need to mine new materials. Current catalysts are often made of rare metals, which are extracted using expensive, energy-intensive and damaging mining processes.

Chemistry - Earth Sciences - 24.11.2022

Possible organic compounds found in Mars crater rocks
Rock samples from the Jezero crater analysed by the Perseverance rover show evidence of liquid water and signatures that could be organic compounds. A study published in Science analyses multiple rocks found at the bottom of Jezero Crater on Mars, where the Perseverance rover landed in 2020, revealing significant interaction between the rocks and liquid water.

Physics - Chemistry - 22.11.2022

Can a new technique for capturing ’hot’ electrons make solar cells more efficient?
A Bath discovery opens a new route for measuring and controlling hot electrons. The hope is that more energy will be available to power solar cells. A new way of extracting quantitative information from state-of-the-art single molecule experiments has been developed by physicists at the University of Bath.

Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 16.11.2022

Winchcombe meteorite holds information about the origin of Earth’s oceans
The Winchcombe meteorite, a rare carbonaceous meteorite which crashed onto a driveway in Gloucestershire, has been found to contain extra-terrestrial water and organic compounds that reveal insights into the origin of Earth's oceans. A new study led by experts from the Natural History Museum and the University of Glasgow reports the orbital history and first laboratory analyses of the Winchcombe meteorite, which was recovered only hours after its spectacular fireball lit up the skies over the UK in February 2021.

Chemistry - Computer Science - 31.10.2022

Machine learning techniques from Imperial and BASF advance experimental design
Imperial and chemical company BASF will reveal new techniques for optimising experimental design at leading machine learning conference NeurIPS. Three papers outlining new machine learning techniques that address important needs in the chemical industry have been judged ground-breaking enough to win acceptance at the NeurIPS conference, one of the most competitive international venues for research in machine learning.

Environment - Chemistry - 28.10.2022

Controlling spin and Alzheimer’s biological pathway: News from the College
Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From materials research that could help with the development of low-power next-generation technologies, to the discovery of a biological pathway that may explain the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease, here is some quick-read news from across the College.

Chemistry - Health - 26.10.2022

Sustainable way to make breast cancer drug could boost South African production
Researchers have devised a cheaper, more efficient, and sustainable way to produce a breast cancer drug in South Africa. The method is designed to facilitate the development of local pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities in South Africa that could serve the country and its neighbours. We were able to find a more efficient way to manufacture lapatinib..

Materials Science - Chemistry - 14.10.2022

Watching lithium in real time could improve performance of EV battery materials
Researchers have found that the irregular movement of lithium ions in next-generation battery materials could be reducing their capacity and hindering their performance. The team, led by the University of Cambridge, tracked the movement of lithium ions inside a promising new battery material in real time.