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New research into why lithium-ion batteries tend to lose power over cycles of charge and discharge could help unlock the next generation of more durable, fast-charging power cells. An international team of chemists and engineers from the UK, China, and Germany have published a paper which challenges the conventional assumptions about how batteries should be optimised to maximise performance, highlighting the importance of electrical, rather than ionic, conductivity.

Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that 'flexibility' actually look like at the molecular scale, and how does it affect performance? Researchers led by the University of Cambridge say they have taken a first step towards answering this question.

A test that rapidly detects signs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in stool samples could improve future diagnosis and monitoring of the condition. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Glasgow, has developed a tool to measure the activity of a molecule linked to gut inflammation within faecal samples.

FIG. 1. (a) Cut-away rendering of the 229ThO2 target mount. Arrows denote front aperture, window, target, and pyroelectric detector. (b) Rendering of the spectroscopy chamber. (Magenta arrow) Direction of VUV laser propagation. (Yellow arrows) IC electron trajectories from target to detection MCP.

Researchers have achieved a new level of control over the atomic structure of a family of materials known as halide perovskites, creating a finely tuned 'energy sandwich' that could transform how solar cells, LEDs and lasers are made. Due to their remarkable ability to absorb and emit light, and because they are cheaper and can be configured to convert more of the solar spectrum into energy than silicon, perovskites have long been touted as a potential replacement for silicon in solar cells, LEDs and quantum technologies.

Scientists have developed a simple, low-cost method to drive key chemical reactions, which could make large-scale drug manufacturing, faster, more accessible and affordable. The new study, published in the journal Nature Synthesis today by The University of Manchester, describes how complex light or electricity-mediated methods currently used across modern chemistry could be replaced by those driven by a simpler technology - heat.

Researchers have developed a material that can sense tiny changes within the body, such as during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs exactly where and when they are needed. The squishy material can be loaded with anti-inflammatory drugs that are released in response to small changes in pH in the body.

A salt called guanidinium thiocyanate can improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells, a new class of semiconductor that could make solar power cheaper and more powerful, according to researchers at UCL. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , the team showed that guanidinium thiocyanate can slow and control the way perovskite crystals form during fabrication, creating smoother and more uniform layers.

Chemists at UCL have shown how two of biology's most fundamental ingredients, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, could have spontaneously joined together at the origin of life four billion years ago. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, the "workhorses" of life essential to nearly every living process.

Scientists reveal simple way to test for life on Mars using kit already on the Curiosity rover A PhD candidate and his supervisor have developed a simple way for testing for active life on Mars and other planets using equipment already on the Mars Curiosity rover and planned for future use on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover.

Researchers at a Scottish university have found a new way to remove a common pollutant from water using controlled waves of ultrasound, without the use of additional chemicals. The system, developed by chemists from the University of Glasgow, can scrub up to 94% of the traces of Bisphenol A (BPA) from samples of contaminated water by using ultrasound to create conditions similar to the surface of the sun in bubbles of contaminated water.

A new study has revealed promising progress in developing a non-invasive sampling method to detect early signs of Parkinson's disease - up to seven years before motor symptoms appear - by analysing the chemical makeup of skin. The research, published today in the journal, npj Parkinson's Disease , demonstrates that compounds or 'volatiles' found in sebum - the oily substance produced by our skin -hold key biomarkers for identifying Parkinson's in its earliest stages.

Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting 'forever chemicals.' They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS.

Scientists at The University of Manchester have designed a molecule that can remember magnetic information at the highest temperature ever recorded for this kind of material. In a boon for the future of data storage technologies, the researchers have made a new single-molecule magnet that retains its magnetic memory up to 100 Kelvin (-173 °C) - around the temperature of the Moon at night.

Gas in planet-forming discs, which provides fuel for giant planets to form, disperses in just a few million years, according to new research by an international team including UCL astronomers. The researchers looked at 30 discs of gas and dust around Sun-like stars to measure gas disc masses at different ages.

Scientists from the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester and the University of Technology Sydney have developed a new way to improve the lifespan of zinc-ion batteries, offering a safer and more sustainable option for energy storage. The team designed a two-dimensional (2D) manganese-oxide/graphene superlattice that triggers a unique lattice-wide strain mechanism.

Chemists at UCL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology have demonstrated how RNA (ribonucleic acid) might have replicated itself on early Earth - a key process in the origin of life. Scientists believe that, in the earliest life forms, genetic material would have been carried and replicated by strands of RNA, before DNA and proteins later emerged and took over.

Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) have demonstrated how genetically engineered enzymes can harness visible light to drive highly selective chemical reactions. This breakthrough could lead to cleaner, more efficient ways of making medicines and other important chemicals, all while reducing the need for harsh chemicals and harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.

Scientists have developed a new technique to screen engineered enzyme reactions, which could lead to faster and more efficient creation of medicines and sustainable chemicals. Enzymes are proteins that catalyse chemical reactions, turning one substance into another. In labs, scientists engineer these enzymes to perform specific tasks like the sustainable creation of medicines, and materials.

Ancient Egyptian mummified bodies smell 'woody,' 'spicy' and 'sweet', finds a new study led by researchers from UCL and the University of Ljubljana, revealing new details about mumification practices. The research, published in Journal of the American Chemical Society , is the first time that the smells of mummified bodies have been systematically studied combining a mix of instrumental and sensory techniques, including an electronic 'nose' and trained, human 'sniffers.' Nine ancient Egyptian mummified bodies were studied.