Phys.org Chemistry

• Experts outline cleaner, more resilient supply options for critical graphite mineral

  Graphite, the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries, has become central to energy storage technologies and a growing focus of supply chain concerns. Even as graphite demand is rising faster than lithium demand, global production remains highly concentrated and carbon-intensive.

• Mechanoluminescent sensors with dual-function polymer shell offer eco-friendly, high-resolution control

  Mechanoluminescent (ML) materials are attractive for haptic interface sensors for next-generation technologies, including bite-controlled user interface, health care motion monitoring, and piconewton sensing, because they emit light under mechanical stimulation without an external power source. However, their intrinsically broad emission spectra can degrade resolution and introduce noise in sensing applications, necessitating further technological development.

• Self-driving system makes key plastic ingredient using in-house generated H₂O₂

  An eco-friendly system capable of producing propylene oxide (PO) without external electricity or sunlight has been developed. PO is a vital raw material used in manufacturing household items such as polyurethane for sofas and mattresses, as well as polyester for textiles and water bottles.

• New AI method boosts microplastic classification

  Recently, a research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new deep learning method that improves the classification accuracy of mixed microplastics in infrared spectroscopy to 98%.

• Unlocking oxygen's hidden role in turning propylene into useful chemicals

  A team of researchers has discovered a new way to make valuable industrial chemicals from propylene using a common, low-cost material: lead dioxide (PbO₂).

• Revealing how cells adhere to the surface of plastic scaffolds

  Short ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) treatment optimizes cell adhesion on plastic culture substrates by selectively enriching adhesion proteins, as reported by researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Their latest study explains the underlying reason why there is an optimal UVO treatment time, with the optimal surface condition arising when the ability to selectively adsorb and immobilize key adhesion proteins is maximized. This study paves the way for the design of polymeric materials used in medical research.

• New retrieval method boosts accuracy of open-path infrared gas sensing

  A research team from the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a new method that enhances the precision and reliability of trace gas analysis in open-path infrared spectroscopic remote sensing.

• Textbook view of NMDA receptor calcium signals upended by new findings

  Drugs that act on NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors, which are essential for learning, memory and moment-by-moment consciousness, are key for treating neuropsychiatric disorders. These drugs were developed based on the assumption that the proportion of calcium in the current produced by these receptors remains constant. That assumption turns out to be false, according to University at Buffalo research published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

• Simply turning up the heat could transform chemical manufacturing

  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.

• Temperature triggers distinct RhRu₃Oₓ reaction mechanisms, offering clues for better water-splitting catalysts

  The oxygen evolution reaction is more relevant to your daily life than you would think. It is used in many electrochemical devices, such as batteries. However, this reaction still has a lot of room for improvement that would allow for it to be applied at a larger scale in next-gen technology.

• How to cook the perfect pasta—we used particle accelerators and reactors to discover the key

  Whether you prefer your spaghetti al dente or soothingly soft, it can be difficult to achieve perfection at home. Many of us will have experienced our pasta disintegrating into a beige mush—particularly for gluten-free alternatives.

• Scientists have unlocked a way to dye polyester using 90% fewer chemicals and 40% less water

  Fizzy water was the key to making polyester dye less harmful to the environment in the creation of a new method developed by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Leeds spin-out company, SwitchDye.

• An innovative tool coating could improve the way products—from aerospace to medical devices—are made

  Have you ever wondered how airplanes, cars, oil and gas pipelines or medical devices are made? It's not just the materials they're composed of that's so important, but also the high-speed machining that shapes them. Improving those processes can improve the industries that use them and the products they make.

• Pillar-cage fluorinated hybrid porous framework features rare quasi-Johnson solid J₂₈ structure

  Adsorptive separation process based on porous materials is widely employed in various separation scenarios owing to its mild operating conditions and energy-efficient characteristics.

• Body preservation technique applied to wood to make it stronger, protect from decay

  A technique used for the long-term preservation of human and animal remains is now being tested on one of Canada's most iconic building materials—the Western red cedar.

• A new solvent-relay strategy to design better electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries

  Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) are currently the most widely used rechargeable batteries worldwide, powering countless portable electronics, as well as hybrid and electric vehicles. While they are known to have notable advantages over other rechargeable batteries, particularly high energy densities, engineers have been trying to further improve their stability, safety and durability.

• Like sculpting from within: New technique builds advanced materials out of basic plastics

  In a kind of addition-by-subtraction, chemists at the University of Florida have developed a technique to create highly porous materials from the ubiquitous building blocks of everyday plastics, and the end result could have applications in electronics, separations and battery manufacturing.

• Chemists provide new 'atlas' for reliable experiments with polyoxometalates

  Polyoxometalates (POMs) look like tiny, perfectly ordered mandalas—complex molecular cages made of metal and oxygen atoms. Chemists produce these POMs as versatile model systems for catalysis, energy storage and biomedical applications. But their apparent symmetry can be deceptive.

• Controlling next-generation energy conversion materials with simple pressure

  Researchers at Kyushu University have designed a class of molecules whose ability to amplify light energy can be actively controlled by simply applying pressure. The findings, published in the journal Chemical Science, may open new possibilities for highly efficient energy conversion devices and advanced medical therapies.

• From nail bars to firefighting foams: How chemicals are deemed safe enough or too harmful

  If you've sat in a nail salon recently, you may well have encountered TPO or trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide to give it its full chemical name. You won't have seen the name on the bottle. But if you've had your gelled fingers under a blue-violet lamp, TPO could well have been part of the process.

• Novel catalyst turns carbon dioxide into essential ingredient for clean fuels

  A research team led by Dr. Kee Young Koo from the Hydrogen Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has developed a world-class catalyst for the reverse water–gas shift reaction, transforming carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into a key building block for eco-friendly fuels.

• Scientists uncover key mechanisms that drive an enzyme linked to aging and cancer

  Sir2, an enzyme belonging to sirtuins, has been shown to be involved in the deacetylation of proteins. Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo reveal that a tandem allosteric effect of reactant and product is responsible for the efficient deacetylation cycle of the Sir2 enzyme.

• Improved iron catalysts achieve near-zero CO₂ emissions in liquid fuel synthesis from syngas

  Scientists cut down over 99% of the CO2 production during the conversion of crude oil products into fuels.

• Bacterial enzyme structure reveals new path for renewable plastic

  Current demand for plastics and chemical raw materials is met through large-scale production of ethylene from fossil fuels. This makes it necessary to search for new, renewable processes. Using bacterial enzymes as catalysts could be the key, but only a few naturally occurring enzymes have the ability to form ethylene. These enzymes typically require energy-rich substrates and produce CO₂ as a by-product.

• Reimagining biocatalysis: Turning DNA phosphates into chiral catalysts

  Chemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have found a new use for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), not just as genetic material, but as a tool for more efficient production of medicinal compounds. Certain parts of DNA, called phosphates, can act like tiny "hands" that guide chemical reactions to selectively produce the desired mirror-image version of a compound.