Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Cross-sectional schematic view showing the detailed structural characteristics of a SGC hybrid particle.

A team affiliated with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), South Korea, claims to have made yet another step towards finding a solution to accelerate the commercialization of silicon anode for Lithium-ion batteries. A new approach developed by a team led by Prof. Jaephil Cho could hold the key to greatly improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Prof. Cho and his team have developed a new type anode material that would be used in place of a conventional graphite anode, which they claim will lead to lighter and longer-lasting batteries for everything from personal devices to electric vehicles...

The Foldit puzzle-solving game, where groups compete online to fold the best protein. In a recent study, gamers beat scientists, college students and computer algorithms to see who could identify a particular protein’s shape. Credit: Scott Horowitz

Gamers playing the popular online puzzle game Foldit beat scientists, college students and computer algorithms in a contest to see who could identify a particular protein’s shape. The study findings have implications for video game enthusiasts and classroom instruction, and showcase the positive impact citizen science can have on research...

Simona Murph’s newest research has resulted in the creation of a new hybrid nanoparticle that combines gold and rust nanoparticles. The new substance may prove to be useful in a variety of applications including hyperthermia treatment, environmental cleaning and medical imaging. Credit: Image courtesy of University of Georgia

Researchers from the University of Georgia are giving new meaning to the phrase “turning rust into gold”—and making the use of gold in research settings and industrial applications far more affordable. They combine small amounts of gold nanoparticles with magnetic rust nanoparticles to create a hybrid nanostructure that retains both the properties of gold and rust. “Medieval alchemists tried to create gold from other metals,” she said...

The new material comprising tin, iodine and phosphorus possesses a double helix structure which provides the semiconductor with extreme mechanical flexibility. Credit: Prof. Tom Nilges / TUM

New flexible semiconductor for electronics, solar technology and photo catalysis. It is the double helix, with its stable and flexible structure of genetic information, that made life on Earth possible in the first place. Now a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered a double helix structure in an inorganic material. The material called SnIP, comprising tin (Sn), iodine (I) and phosphorus(P) is a semiconductor with extraordinary optical and electronic properties, and extreme mechanical flexibility.The centimeter-long fibers can be arbitrarily bent without breaking.

“This prope...