The use of short flashes of X-ray light brings scientists one big step closer toward developing better catalysts to transform the greenhouse gas methane into a less harmful chemical. The result, published in the journal Science, reveals for the first time how carbon-hydrogen bonds of alkanes break and how the catalyst works in this reaction.
Tag: Molecular Physics
In a first, scientists capture a ‘quantum tug’ between neighboring water molecules
Researchers have made the first direct observation of how hydrogen atoms in water molecules tug and push neighboring water molecules when they are excited with laser light.
Doctoral student bridges gap between electronics and optics
New chip can revolutionize the current data rate for processors using microwave photonics
New insight into “training” highly reactive chemical compounds
Are targeted attacks possible?
Scientists create rechargeable swimming microrobots using oil and water
By combining oil drops with water containing a detergent-like substance, the scientists found they could produce artificial swimmers that are able to swim independently and even harvest energy to recharge. The oil droplets use fluctuating temperature changes in their surrounding…
Chemical reactions break free from energy barriers using flyby trajectories
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study shows that it is possible to use mechanical force to deliberately alter chemical reactions and increase chemical selectivity – a grand challenge of the field. The study led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher…
Researchers discover a new inorganic material with lowest thermal conductivity ever reported
A collaborative research team, led by the University of Liverpool, has discovered a new inorganic material with the lowest thermal conductivity ever reported. This discovery paves the way for the development of new thermoelectric materials that will be critical for…
Scientists take first snapshots of ultrafast switching in a quantum electronic device
They discover a short-lived state that could lead to faster and more energy-efficient computing devices
How does exhaled heated tobacco aerosol behave in the air?
Considerable research informs the dynamics of exhaled e-cigarette aerosols, but how much do we know about the same processes for heated tobacco? Liz Mason picks over the particles
New mechanism of superconductivity discovered in graphene
Placing a 2D Bose-Einstein condensate in the vicinity of a graphene layer confers superconductivity to the material
Electrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses
The absorption of energy from laser light by free electrons in a liquid has been demonstrated for the first time. Until now, this process was observed only in the gas phase. The findings, led by Graz University of Technology, open…
Researchers resolve magnetic structures of different topological semimetals
Topological semimetals are one of the major discoveries in condensed-matter physics in recent years. The magnetic Weyl semimetal, in which the Weyl nodes can be generated and modulated by magnetization, provides an ideal platform for the investigation of the magnetic…
Theoretical model able to reliably predict low-temperature properties of compounds
A paper by Kazan Federal University appeared in early access in Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids.
Quantum phase transition discovered in a quasi-2D system consisting purely of spins
The study could have applications in spintronics and quantum computing; it was conducted by an international collaboration and published in Nature; its first author is a researcher at the University of São Paulo
Unlocking radiation-free quantum technology with graphene
“Heavy fermions” are an appealing theoretical way to produce quantum entangled phenomena, but until recently have been observed mostly in dangerously radioactive compounds. A new paper shows it is possible to make them in subtly modified graphene
Researchers use JUWELS for record-breaking simulations of turbulence’s smallest structures
International collaboration focuses on including intermittency in turbulence simulations.
Researchers identify ultrastable single atom magnet
Researchers at the IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University (QNS) have shown that dysprosium atoms resting on a thin insulating layer of magnesium oxide have magnetic stability over days. In a study published in Nature Communications they…
New clues to why there’s so little antimatter in the universe
Radioactive molecules are sensitive to subtle nuclear phenomena and might help physicists probe the violation of the most fundamental symmetries of nature.
Cutting through noise for better solar cells
As society moves towards a renewable energy future, it’s crucial that solar panels convert light into electricity as efficiently as possible. Some state-of-the-art solar cells are close to the theoretical maximum of efficiency–and physicists from the University of Utah and…
Falling in line: The simple design and control of MOF electric flow
Osaka Prefecture University develops a method to design and control the path of electron flow in a polycrystalline material
Singlet oxygen selectively degrades oxytetracycline in fenton-like oxidation
Recently, a research team led by Prof. KONG Lingtao at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has prepared a type of hollow amorphous Co/C composites to activate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to generate…
Scientists synthesize 3D graphene films with high-energy E-beam
Recently, Prof. WANG Zhenyang’s research group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has prepared macroscopic thick three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene films. Using high-energy electron beam as the energy source and taking…
Developing new techniques to build biomaterials
Scientists at the University of Leeds have developed an approach that could help in the design of a new generation of synthetic biomaterials made from proteins. The biomaterials could eventually have applications in joint repair or wound healing as well…
Stress-free path to stress-free metallic films paves the way for next-gen circuitry
Optimized sputtering technique helps minimize stress in tungsten thin films
Particles with ‘eyes’ allow a closer look at rotational dynamics
Tokyo, Japan – Colloids–mixtures of particles made from one substance, dispersed in another substance–crop up in numerous areas of everyday life, including cosmetics, food and dyes, and form important systems within our bodies. Understanding the behavior of colloids therefore has…
UChicago scientists identify properties that allow proteins to strengthen under pressure
A new rubber band stretches, but then snaps back into its original shape and size. Stretched again, it does the same. But what if the rubber band was made of a material that remembered how it had been stretched? Just…
New method eliminates interference of nicotine in detection of methamphetamine
Recently, a research group led by CHU Yannan and HUANG Chaoqun from the Institute of Health & Medical Technology of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) developed an effective method for on-site detection of methamphetamine (MA) in the presence…
Researchers turned transparent calcite into artificial gold
Breakthrough in metamaterials: for the first time in the world, researchers at Tel Aviv University developed an innovative nanotechnology that transforms a transparent calcite nanoparticle into a sparkling gold-like particle. In other words, they turned the transparent particle into a…
Novel compound reveals fundamental properties of smallest carbon nanotubes
Chemical rings of carbon and hydrogen atoms curve to form relatively stable structures capable of conducting electricity and more — but how do these curved systems change when new components are introduced? Researchers based in Japan found that, with just…
VUMC Team Develops Potential Treatment for Life-threatening Microbial Inflammation
A cell-penetrating peptide developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center can prevent, in an animal model, the often-fatal septic shock that can result from bacterial and viral infections. Their findings, published this week in Scientific Reports , could lead…
CityU scientists make a breakthrough towards solving the structural mystery of glass
Glass is one of the most common subjects we see every day, but the detailed structure of this non-metallic and non-liquid material has always been a major mystery in science. A research team co-led by scientists at City University of…
New research in protein sequencing poised to transform medicine
While DNA provides the genetic recipe book for biological form and function, it is the job of the body’s proteins to carry out the complex commands dictated by DNA’s genetic code. Stuart Lindsay, a researcher at the Biodesign Institute at…
Underground storage of carbon captured directly from air — green and economical
New study shows that geological storage of low-purity carbon dioxide mixed with oxygen and nitrogen from direct air capture is an environmentally friendly and economically viable approach to remove carbon from the atmosphere
New form of silicon could enable next-gen electronic and energy devices
Novel crystalline form of silicon could potentially be used to create next-generation electronic and energy devices
Enantiomorph distribution maps for metals and metallic alloys
Left- or right-handedness is a symmetry property that many macroscopic objects also exhibit and which is of immense importance, particularly for the bioactivity of organic molecules. Chirality is also relevant for physical or chemical properties such as optical activity or…
Hexagonal boron nitride’s remarkable toughness unmasked
2D material resists cracking and description by century-old theory of fracture mechanics
Best of both worlds: High entropy meets low dimensions, opens up infinite possibilities
The discovery of graphene, a 2D layered form of carbon, once caused a paradigm shift in science and technology like no other. As this wonder material drew attention from material scientists around the world, it spurred research on other materials…
New insights into switchable MOF structures
Metal-organic framework compounds (MOFs) consist of inorganic and organic groups and are characterised by a large number of pores into which other molecules can be incorporated. MOFs are therefore interesting for many applications, for example for the storage of gases,…
Nanofibrous filters for PM2.5 filtration
In a paper published in NANO , the author reviewed many kinds of nanofibrous filters including the component, preparation process, and application performances to provide directional guidance for improvement of the air purification field. Poor air quality is worldwide recognized…
It takes some heat to form ice!
Water freezes and turns to ice when brought in contact with a cold surface – a well-known fact. However, the exact process and its microscopic details remained elusive up to know. Anton Tamtögl from the Institute of Experimental Physics at…
Quark-gluon plasma flows like water, according to new study
What does quark-gluon plasma – the hot soup of elementary particles formed a few microseconds after the Big Bang – have in common with tap water? Scientists say it’s the way it flows. A new study, published today in the…
Better understanding membranes
Experts from the University of Goettingen and the Hereon present new research strategies
Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling
Rice physicists’ RAMBO reveals magnetic phenomenon useful for quantum simulation and sensing
Scientists to present new findings on atoms, molecules, and optics
Quantum choreography, ultraprecise clocks, memory boosters, and related research will debut at the 2021 DAMOP Annual Meeting
Promoting young talent in Chemistry: New research training group launched at MLU
The Research Training Group (RTG) 2670 “Beyond Amphiphilicity: Self-organisation of soft matter via multiple noncovalent interactions” has begun its work at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). Amphiphilicity, a fundamental ordering principle for molecules, will be the starting point of the…
Ohio’s Sumit Sharma receives National Science Foundation CAREER award to study metallic nanoparticle
Sumit Sharma, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in Ohio University’s Russ College of Engineering and Technology, was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) five-year, $511,902 grant to study the adsorption behavior of…
Unexpected ‘Black Swan’ defect discovered in soft matter for first time
Using an advanced microscopy technique, Texas A&M researchers have uncovered a twin boundary defect in a soft polymer that has never been observed before
Spintronics: Improving electronics with finer spin control
DGIST scientists have found a novel way to control magnetic spins in a localized space
Complex shapes of photons to boost future quantum technologies
As the digital revolution has now become mainstream, quantum computing and quantum communication are rising in the consciousness of the field. The enhanced measurement technologies enabled by quantum phenomena, and the possibility of scientific progress using new methods, are of…
A physics perspective on wound healing
Scientists from UNIGE and UZH have used a statistical physics approach to identify the lengthscales of key intercellular interactions which govern tissue healing.