Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Stanford scientists have designed a copper catalyst that produces ethanol from carbon dioxide and water. Credit: Mark Shwartz/Stanford University

Most cars and trucks in the US run on a blend of 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol, a renewable fuel made primarily from fermented corn. But to produce the 14 billion gallons of ethanol consumed annually by American drivers requires millions of acres of farmland. A recent discovery by Stanford University scientists could lead to a new, more sustainable way to make ethanol without corn or other crops. This promising technology has 3 basic components: water, CO2 and electricity delivered through a copper catalyst. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

“One of our long-range goals is to produce renewable...

Open Water Power’s battery that “drinks” in sea water to operate is safer and cheaper, and provides a tenfold increase in range, over traditional lithium-ion batteries used for unpiloted underwater vehicles. The power system consists of an alloyed aluminum anode, an alloyed cathode, and an alkaline electrolyte positioned between the electrodes. Components are only activated when flooded with water. Once the aluminum anode corrodes, it can be replaced at low cost. Credit: Open Water Power

The long range of airborne drones helps them perform critical tasks in the skies. Now MIT spinout Open Water Power (OWP) aims to greatly improve the range of unpiloted underwater vehicles (UUVs), helping them better perform in a range of applications under the sea...

Materials scientists at Argonne National Laboratory synthesized single crystals of a metallic trilayer nickelate compound, which shows similarities to a technologically valuable class of materials called high-temperature superconductors — and with the right ingredients, could potentially become one. Above: The crystal structure of such a compound. Credit: Zhang et. al

A team at DOE Argonne National Laboratory has identified a nickel oxide compound as an unconventional but promising candidate material for high-temperature superconductivity. The team successfully synthesized single crystals of a metallic trilayer nickelate compound, a feat the researchers believe to be a first. “It’s poised for superconductivity in a way not found in other nickel oxides...

The Micius Satellite served as a quantum “switchboard” for communicating entangled photos from space to Earth | Jian-Wei Pan

In a landmark study, Chinese scientists report the successful transmission of entangled photons between suborbital space and Earth. Furthermore, whereas the previous record for successful entanglement distribution was about 100 km, here, transmission over a distance of more than 1,200 km was achieved. The distribution of quantum entanglement, especially across vast distances, holds important implications for quantum teleportation and communication networks...