News by Subject Chemistry & Physics

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Engineering describe for the first time several unique properties of materials known as phase-switching liquids, or PSLs, that hold promise as next-generation anti-icing materials. PSLs can delay ice and frost formation up to 300 times longer than state-of-the-art coatings being developed in laboratories.

German nanoscientists have succeeded in demonstrating a new reaction mechanism to cleave cellulose efficiently. This new reaction could lead to an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective process for the conversion of biomass. The study was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

While it's not a case of reinventing the wheel, researchers are looking at ways to improve standard braking equipment on trains and cars. By mixing carbon fibers into polymer-based brakes, a group of researchers at UBC Okanagan, Sharif University of Technology in Iran and the University of Toronto were able to design brakes that are self-lubricating.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have designed and demonstrated a novel type of polymer demonstrating a switchable thermal conductivity controlled by light. The material has the potential to route the conduction of heat on-demand and enable new, smarter, ways to manage heat.

New technology from the University of South Australia is revolutionizing safe vaccination practices through antibacterial, silver-loaded dissolvable microneedle patches, which not only sterilize the injection site to inhibit the growth of bacteria, but also physically dissolve after administration.

A new, versatile plastic-composite sensor can detect tiny amounts of water. The 3d printable material, developed by a Spanish-Israeli team of scientists, is cheap, flexible and non-toxic and changes its colour from purple to blue in wet conditions. The researchers used DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III to understand the structural changes within the material that are triggered by water and lead to the observed colour change.

Hiding an object from heat-sensing cameras could be useful for military and technology applications as well as for research. Efforts to develop such a method have been underway for decades with varying degrees of success. Now, researchers report in ACS Nano that they have fabricated an inexpensive, easy-to-produce film that makes objects completely invisible to infrared detectors.