The latest news stories on chemistry, biochemistry, polymers, materials science from Phys.org
Aiming at the industrial use of clay column chromatography for optical resolution
A recent study, published in Applied Clay Science, could have applications in clay column chromatography for obtaining enantiomeric compounds in industries.
Vinegar and baking soda: A cleaning hack or just a bunch of fizz?
Vinegar and baking soda are staples in the kitchen. Many of us have combined them in childhood scientific experiments: think fizzy volcanoes and geysers.
Space company develops centrifuge to test impact of gravity on crystalline-structured drug molecules
Kanjakha Pal and Adrian Radocea, a pair of engineers at Varda Space Industries, a company working to develop space-based drug facilities, has developed a centrifuge-based device to test the impact of gravity on crystalline-structured drug molecules as they grow. Their paper is published in the journal Crystal Growth & Design.
Supercharging fuel cells with caffeine
With global goals set on transitioning away from fossil fuels, fuel cells stand out as a promising carbon-free energy source. Comprising an anode and a cathode separated by an electrolyte, fuel cells convert the chemical energy of fuel directly into electricity. The anode receives the fuel, while an oxidant, typically oxygen from the air, is introduced at the cathode.
New high-speed microscale 3D printing technique
3D-printed microscopic particles, so small that to the naked eye they look like dust, have applications in drug and vaccine delivery, microelectronics, microfluidics, and abrasives for intricate manufacturing. However, the need for precise coordination between light delivery, stage movement, and resin properties makes scalable fabrication of such custom microscale particles challenging. Now, researchers at Stanford University have introduced a more efficient processing technique that can print up...
Stronger than nature: Optimized radicals as potential novel catalysts
Nature uses enzymes for various metabolic processes. These biological catalysts are extremely efficient. Biomimetic catalysts based on inexpensive starting materials from the laboratory that can reproduce the efficiency of the natural enzymes and can function at ambient conditions are therefore of great interest to research and industry.