Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

Early-life to endocrine-disrupting chemicals may fuel food preferences

sweets
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in early life, including during gestation and infancy, results in a higher preference for sugary and fatty foods later in life, according to an animal study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are substances in the environment (air, soil or water supply), food sources, personal care products and manufactured products that interfere with the normal function of the body’s endocrine system...

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From 0 to 100 in 12 minutes—roadmap for lithium–sulfur batteries

From 0 to 100 in 12 minutes—roadmap for lithium-sulfur batteries
Key challenges (red background) and potential solutions (green background) for fast-charging LSBs. Credit: Advanced Energy Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202404383

Grab a coffee and your car is fully charged—this is how many people envision the future of mobility. But today’s batteries still fall short of this ideal. While modern lithium–ion batteries can charge from 20% to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes, a full charge takes considerably longer—and fast charging puts significant stress on the cells.

A new international review study published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials now shows how lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) could overcome these limitations.

Researchers from Germany, India, and Taiwan—coordinated by Dr...

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Scientists use lightning to make ammonia out of thin air

Electrolyser, the key equipment used for the conversion to ammonia
The membrane-based electrolyser, key to where the conversion to gaseous ammonia happens. Credit. PJ Cullen

University of Sydney researchers have harnessed human-made lightning to develop a more efficient method of generating ammonia—one of the world’s most important chemicals. Ammonia is also the main ingredient of fertilizers that account for almost half of all global food production.

The research was published in Angewandte Chemie International edition.

The team have successfully developed a more straightforward method to produce ammonia (NH3) in gas form. Previous efforts by other laboratories produced ammonia in a solution (ammonium, NH4+), which requires more energy and processes to transform it into the final gas product.

The current method to generate ammonia, the Hab...

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This triple-layer sunlight catalyst supercharges green hydrogen by 800%

The material can effectively capture the sunlight so that the energy therein can be used for hydrogen production through the photochemical water splitting reaction.Photographer:Olov Planthaber

Researchers in Sweden have developed a powerful new material that dramatically boosts the ability to create hydrogen fuel from water using sunlight, making the process eight times more effective than before. This breakthrough could be key to fueling heavy transport like ships and planes with clean, renewable energy.

The chemical reaction to produce hydrogen from water is several times more effective when using a combination of new materials in three layers, according to researchers at Linköping University in Sweden...

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