Category Technology/Electronics

a) Synthetic scheme of MoNi4 electrocatalyst supported by the MoO2 cuboids on nickel foam; b) polarization curves of the MoNi4 electrocatalyst supported by the MoO2 cuboids, pure Ni nanosheets and MoO2 cuboids on the nickel foam; c) calculated adsorption free energy diagram for the Tafel step.
Credit: Image courtesy of Technische Universitaet Dresden

A new paper from cfaed’s Chair for Molecular Functional Materials describes a new approach to revolutionize the production of molecular hydrogen. In many of the approaches for hydrogen production, the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from water splitting is the most economical and effective route for the future hydrogen economy...

Self-Ventilating Workout Suit keeps Athletes Cool and Dry

Ventilating flaps lined with live cells open and close in response to an athlete’s sweat. MIT team has designed a breathable workout suit with ventilating flaps that open and close in response to an athlete’s body heat and sweat. These flaps, which range from thumbnail- to finger-sized, are lined with live microbial cells that shrink and expand in response to changes in humidity. The cells act as tiny sensors and actuators, driving the flaps to open when an athlete works up a sweat, and pulling them closed when the body has cooled.

They have also fashioned a running shoe with an inner layer of similar cell-lined flaps to air out and wick away moisture...

A self-assembling membrane for water purification. Credit: Image courtesy of Weizmann Institute of Science

Separation technology is at the heart of water purification, sewage treatment, and materials reclamation, as well as numerous basic industrial processes. Membranes are used to separate out the smallest nanoscale particles, and even molecules and metal ions. Prof. Boris Rybtchinski and his group of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Organic Chemistry have developed a new type of membrane that could extend the life of a separation system, lower its cost and, in some cases, increase its efficiency as well.

The membranes Prof...