Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Microscopy of self-oscillation of the crystalline assembly. A crystalline assembly of azobenzene derivative and oleate showed oscillatory bending-unbending motion under continuous 435-nm light irradiation. The frequency of oscillation increased with increasing light intensity. Credit: Copyright Ikegami T. et. al., Angewandte Chemie International Edition, May 19, 2016

Scientists have developed light-powered molecular motors that repetitively bend and unbend, bringing us closer to molecular robots. Researchers are working on mimicking cellular systems to develop molecular motors that can move or even deliver drugs to target tissues. Engineering such motors may ultimately lead to molecular robots that can execute more complex tasks...

Production of ImmuStick: Application of immune receptors onto the test strip. Credit: © Photo Fraunhofer IGB

At present, bacteria, fungi or viruses can generally only be detected with certainty by way of elaborate lab tests or animal experiments. The food and pharmaceutical industries would like to have faster tests to check their products. Fraunhofer researchers are therefore developing a stick that works like a pregnancy test and quickly delivers a result. In the future, it is also to be used for detecting allergens and disease pathogens in the blood.

“The ImmuStick can even detect pathogens outside the body – on medical devices or in hospital rooms for example. However, the technology would certainly also be of interest for testing human blood for germs or allergies,” says Dr...

The MOF used in this study consists of organic molecules (in grey and black) and metal ions (zirconium, in purple). Between these molecules are little holes that can absorb the phosphanates (in yellow). © KU Leuven – Centre for Surface Chemistry & Catalysis

The best-known electronic nose is the breathalyser. As drivers breathe into the device, a chemical sensor measures the amount of alcohol in their breath. This chemical reaction is then converted into an electronic signal, allowing the police officer to read off the result. Alcohol is easy to detect, because the chemical reaction is specific and the concentration of the measured gas is fairly high. But many other gases are complex mixtures of molecules in very low concentrations.

Researchers from KU Leuven have now built a very sensitiv...

Doughnut-shaped zones

Uni of Amsterdam students have designed a new catalyst that can render important chemical processes more sustainable. Their catalyst can create selective peroxide-like reagents literally from thin air and uses those to oxidise alcohols to carbonyl compounds in a dual-action mechanism.

Thierry Slot, a master student at the Research Priority Area Sustainable Chemistry, has succeeded in solving a thorny problem in organic chemistry: the selective catalytic oxidation of activated alcohols with molecular oxygen (air). Working with 2nd-year bachelor students Peter Jungbacker and Dylan van Noordenne, Slot designed and synthesised a dual-action solid catalyst that facilitates a cascade of oxygen activation followed by alcohol dehydrogenation.

The new catalyst is made mostly o...