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    Category Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Scientists finally crack down Nature’s most Common Chemical Bond

    May 26, 2020, Categories  Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    A catalyst (center) based on iridium (blue ball) can snip a hydrogen atom (white balls) off a terminal methyl group (upper and lower left) to add a boron-oxygen compound (pink and red) that is easily swapped out for more complicated chemical groups. The reaction works on simple hydrocarbon chains (top reaction) or more complicated carbon compounds (bottom reaction). The exquisite selectivity of this catalytic reaction is due to the methyl group (yellow) that has been added to the iridium catalyst. The black balls are carbon atoms; red is oxygen; pink is boron. (UC Berkeley image by John Hartwig)

    Carbon-hydrogen bonds in hydrocarbon molecules have resisted functionalization until now...

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    Scientists Eliminate Drug Side Effects by Manipulating Molecular chirality

    May 21, 2020, Categories  Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    Dr Jeffery Huang Zhifeng, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at HKBU, has developed a novel approach to manipulating the chirality of drug molecules.
    Dr Jeffery Huang Zhifeng, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at HKBU, has developed a novel approach to manipulating the chirality of drug molecules.

    Scientists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have developed a novel technique that can produce pure therapeutic drugs without the associated side effects.

    The approach, which uses a nanostructure fabrication device, can manipulate the chirality of drug molecules by controlling the direction a substrate is rotated within the device, thus eliminating the possible side effects that can arise when people take drugs containing molecules with the incorrect chirality.

    Published in the international scientific journal Nature Chemistry, the research findings pave the way towards the mass production of purer, cheaper and ...

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    Durable, Washable Textile Coating can Repel Viruses

    May 14, 2020, Categories  Physics, Health/Medical, Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Biology/Biotechnology

    An illustration shows the treated textile’s ability to repel fluids.

    New research could lead to safely reusable PPE. Researchers have created a textile coating that can not only repel liquids like blood and saliva but can also prevent viruses from adhering to the surface. Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential for protecting healthcare workers. However, the textiles and materials used in such items can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria, inadvertently spreading the disease the wearer sought to contain.

    When the coronavirus spread amongst healthcare professionals and left PPE in short supply, finding a way to provide better protection while allowing for the safe reuse of these items became paramount.

    Research from the LAMP Lab at the Universit...

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    Plasma Electrons can be used to Produce Metallic films

    May 10, 2020, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    A view into the vacuum chamber showing the plasma above the surface on which the metallic film is created. Magnus Johansson

    Computers, mobile phones and all other electronic devices contain thousands of transistors, linked together by thin films of metal. Scientists at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a method that can use the electrons in a plasma to produce these films.

    The processors used in today’s computers and phones consist of billions of tiny transistors connected by thin metallic films. Scientists at Linköping University, LiU, have now shown that it is possible to create thin films of metals by allowing the free electrons in a plasma take an active role...

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