Phys.org Chemistry

• A new family of barium-based crystals reveals rules for structural changes

  The ultimate goal of materials scientists is to design and create materials with precise structures and tailored properties. Predictive technologies have advanced significantly with the rise of AI, yet the delicate nature of chemistry, where even the smallest change can alter a material's behavior, remains a challenge for building truly chemically intuitive frameworks.

• Engineered material uses light to destroy PFAS and other contaminants in water

  Materials scientists at Rice University and collaborators have developed a material that uses light to break down a range of pollutants in water, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the "forever chemicals" that have garnered attention for their pervasiveness.

• Synthetic key enzyme enables the conversion of CO₂ into formic acid

  For a carbon-neutral bioeconomy, processes are needed that can efficiently capture CO2 and convert it into valuable products. Formic acid, or more specifically its salt, formate, is considered a promising candidate as it can be produced from CO₂ using renewable electricity. It is also easy to transport, non-toxic and versatile. Research is focusing, among other things, on microorganisms that are "fed" formic acid made from CO₂ and use it to produce basic chemicals or fuels.

• Study uncovers new drug target for huge class of viruses

  A study from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), published in Nature Communications, reveals how enteroviruses—including pathogens that cause polio, encephalitis, myocarditis, and the common cold—initiate replication by hijacking host-cell machinery.

• Algae-based asphalt binder strengthens roads for cold climates

  Snow and ice can damage paved surfaces, leading to frost heaves and potholes. These become potential hazards for drivers and pedestrians and are expensive to fix. Now, researchers propose in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering a figurative and literal green solution to improve the durability of roads and sidewalks: an algae-derived asphalt binder. For temperatures below freezing, results indicated that the algae binder reduced asphalt cracks when compared to a conventional, petroleum-based binder.

• Light-driven process forms flexible electrodes on skin, textiles and glass

  Visible light can be used to create electrodes from conductive plastics completely without hazardous chemicals. This is shown in a new study carried out by researchers at Linköping and Lund universities, Sweden. The electrodes can be created on different types of surfaces, which opens up a new type of electronics and medical sensors.

• Eco-friendly solution to marine fouling uses electrochemically-active coating

  Marine fouling triggers ongoing economic losses for the global shipping industry through detrimental effects on structures and vessels—but tests by Flinders University researchers on a new type of anti-foul coating reveal a solution that is not detrimental to the environment.

• Optimized membranes boost carbon dioxide separation

  Researchers have developed a highly selective membrane that efficiently separates carbon dioxide from other gases, supporting cleaner energy and industrial processes.

• Femtosecond laser technique captures elusive atomic oxygen in water

  A never-before-seen image of individual oxygen atoms dissolved in water has been captured.

• High-energy photons drive conversion of greenhouse gases into high-value chemicals, no catalyst needed

  Scientists have found a way to turn carbon dioxide and methane, the two most notorious greenhouse gases, into useful chemicals without any expensive catalysts, using only light.

• Freezing salty water reveals dynamic brine migration and evolving ice patterns

  Imagine holding a narrow tube filled with salty water and watching it begin to freeze from one end. You might expect the ice to advance steadily and push the salt aside in a simple and predictable way. Yet the scene that unfolded was unexpectedly vivid.

• Rare-earth europium substitution allows for more control over CO₂-to-fuel conversion

  The electrochemical CO2 (carbon dioxide) reduction reaction takes harmful pollutants and transforms them into valuable products like fuel. However, selectively tailoring various processes in this reaction to successfully and efficiently arrive at a particular desired outcome remains a challenge.

• Break the mold: Who defines the 'real' chemist?

  The perception of a chemist varies. Some might imagine the "mad scientist" from old cartoons—a white-haired older man working with beakers in his lab—but as that cliche fades, the reality of what constitutes a chemist's job might likewise need an update.

• Enhancing machine-learning interatomic potentials for advanced materials modeling

  Machine learning is transforming many scientific fields, including computational materials science. For about two decades, scientists have been using it to make accurate yet inexpensive calculations of interatomic potentials, that are mathematical functions that express the energy of a system of atoms and are an ingredient to simulate and predict the stability and properties of materials. But machine learning by itself is not a magic wand, and many problems remain.

• Biphenomycin biosynthetic pathway decoded, opening door to new antibiotic development

  Biphenomycins, natural products derived from bacteria, show excellent antimicrobial activity, but have long remained out of reach for drug development. The main obstacle was the limited understanding of how these compounds are produced by their microbial hosts.

• Twisting spins: Researchers explore chemical boundaries to create new magnetic material

  Florida State University researchers have created a new crystalline material with unusual magnetic patterns that could be used for breakthroughs in data storage and quantum technologies.

• Eco-friendly, photo-switchable smart adhesives use biomass-derived materials

  Conventional petroleum-based adhesives rely heavily on the petrochemical industry and pose environmental risks due to harmful emissions and limited reusability. In a new study, researchers developed a novel photo-switchable smart adhesive based on materials derived from rose oil. It is both eco-friendly and highly reusable, while exhibiting great adhesion to a variety of surfaces. This innovative adhesive paves the way for more sustainable and smart material technologies.

• Turning everyday filter paper into a miniature microfluidic platform with DLP 3D printing

  Scientists used a 3D-printing approach to pattern hydrophobic barriers inside hydrophilic filter paper. These barriers, designed in different geometries, guide liquids along precise paths and shape their flow behavior, demonstrating effective use in mixing, gradient generation, and two-phase separation within miniaturized systems.

• Used cooking oil yields super strong glue and recyclable plastics

  Plastics are made from crude oil and petroleum by-products, so a team of scientists decided to explore if they could turn waste cooking oil into a useful plastic material, and they succeeded.

• Simulation may illuminate safer cannabinoid drugs

  New psychoactive substances, originally developed as potential analgesics but abandoned due to adverse side effects, may still have pharmaceutical value if researchers could nail down the causes of those side effects. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used deep learning and large-scale computer simulations to identify structural differences in synthetic cannabinoid molecules that cause them to bind to human brain receptors differently from classical cannabinoids.

• Oxygen scavenger doubles biosensor accuracy for medical and agricultural uses

  Biosensors are helping people with chronic conditions worldwide live better lives. However, their measurement accuracy has often been relatively low, limiting the range of possible applications. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now discovered a way to boost the accuracy of common oxidase biosensors from 50% to 99%, paving the way for new uses.

• Magnetic liposomes reveal sugar–protein binding patterns in solution

  Polydopamine-coated magnetic liposomes offer insight into the lectin–glycan interactions in motion. By observing minute changes in the rotational motion of magnetic nanoparticles under alternating magnetic field, the technique reveals binding patterns, including strong multivalent binding events under natural and physiological conditions.

• A new way to analyze copper chelators for potential Alzheimer's therapy

  It is widely known that Alzheimer's disease is mainly associated with the overproduction of β-amyloid peptides and damage caused by oxidative stress.

• Like living cells, oil-in-water droplets form 'arms' in response to their environment

  Oil-in-water droplets respond to chemical cues by forming arm-like extensions that resemble filopodia, which are used by living cells to sense and explore their environment.

• Limitations of AI-based material prediction: Crystallographic disorder represents a stumbling block

  Computer simulations and artificial intelligence often make significant errors when predicting the properties of new, high-performance materials, according to a new international study led by the University of Bayreuth. In their research, published in Advanced Materials, the scientists provide tools to address this issue.