Search results for "hydrogen"

Physicists studying stellar explosions, the origin of life and just about everything in between could gain light years in precision because of a system inspired by a team led by Kelly Chipps of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. As the sophistication of radioactive ion beam facilities around the world increases, there is pressure to ensure that the targets and detectors necessary to perform experiments maintain the pace.

Materials commonly used for seals and gaskets are vulcanised elastomers such as ethylene propylene (EPDM) and nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR). However, as they contain sulphur they can leach out hydrogen sulphide over time which can cause corrosion if they are used in LED light fittings. For this reason The SFS Manufacturing Group are now offering silicone rubber components that are guaranteed 100% sulphur free and made from compounds specifically...

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a better way to achieve a chemical reaction that is used widely in the pharmaceutical as well as flavour and fragrance industries. Traditional methods of "allylic oxidation" typically employ toxic and/or expensive reagents such as chromium, ruthenium or selenium. That largely prevents the reaction from being used at industrial scales, for example to manufacture pharmaceuticals.

Researchers at the University of Bath have developed an innovative miniature fuel cell that can generate electricity from urine, creating an affordable, renewable and carbon-neutral way of generating power.

Splitting water into its hydrogen and oxygen parts may sound like science fiction, but it's the end goal of chemists and chemical engineers like Christopher Murray of the University of Pennsylvania and Matteo Cargnello of Stanford University. They work in a field called photocatalysis, which, at its most basic, uses light to speed up chemical reactions. They've come a step closer to such a feat by tailoring the structure of a material called tita...

Most of the world's nations have agreed to make substantial reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions, but achieving these goals is still a considerable technological, economic, and political challenge. The International Energy Agency has projected that, even with the new agreements in place, global coal-fired power generation will increase over the next few decades.

The world is run by catalysts. They clean up after cars, help make fertilizers, and could be the key to better hydrogen fuel. Now, a team of chemists, led by Xiaohu Xia from Michigan Technological University, has found a better way to make metal catalysts.Last week,Nano Letterspublished the team's study, which covers how the researchers made a catalyst for the first time out of the metal ruthenium. The break-through is not limited to this one met...

When it comes to the various nanowidgets scientists are developing, nanotubes are especially intriguing. That's because hollow tubes that have diameters of only a few billionths of a meter have the potential to be incredibly useful, from delivering cancer-fighting drugs inside cells to desalinating seawater. But building nanostructures is difficult. And creating a large quantity of nanostructures with the same trait, such as millions of nanotubes...

The vast array of consumer devices that we use today all need rechargeable batteries. A key element of these batteries is so-called ‘white petroleum’ or lithium – an essentially irreplaceable component of laptops, mobile phones, electric cars and some pharmaceutical applications – which is rocketing in value. Specialists estimate that lithium demand will outstrip supply by 2023, with the vast majority coming from rechargea...

Artists have used gold nanoparticles for centuries, because they produce vibrant colors when sunlight hits them. Their unique optical-electronics properties have put gold nanoparticles at the center of research, solar cells, sensors, chemotherapy, drug delivery, biological and medical applications, and electronic conductors. The properties of gold nanoparticles can be tuned by changing their size, shape, surface chemistry etc., but controlling th...