The production of nitrogen fertilizers requires ammonia. It has been a long-term objective to find alternate materials and methods for effective N2 reduction to ammonia under benign settings due to the significant energy consumption of industrial ammonia synthesis.
In a paper recently published in the open-access journal Materials, researchers devised a novel effective reduction technique for producing porous pellets to promote mass transfer in the production of magnesium. It was determined that this can enhance the reduction efficiency while improving the pellet reactivity.
By Chinmay Chari
5 Sep 2022
In a pre-proof article posted in Materials & Designs, researchers quantified the extensional characteristics of battery electrode slurries by employing a miniature extensional rheometer. The novel technique aided the authors in comprehending the slurry structure and optimizing the process conditions to synthesize electrode coatings with the appropriate microstructure.
A vital chemical process that provides the source of nitrogen for modern industry and agriculture is the conversion of N2 to NH3. Massive efforts have been expended since the Haber-Bosch process was developed, but achieving N2-to-NH3 conversion under benign conditions remains a difficult problem.
Researchers from Linköping University have used computer simulations to show how stable aromatic molecules can change when exposed to light. The findings could have long-term applications in a variety of industries, including molecular machinery, medicine, and solar energy storage.
A team of researchers recently published a paper in the journal Materials that demonstrated the feasibility of using boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin film electrodes to detect trace lead (Pb2+) in drinking water.
By Samudrapom Dam
5 Sep 2022
An effective process for the formation of atmospheric ultrafine particles by the combination of gaseous sulfuric acid and bases has been reported by a combined research team led by Doctors Jingkun Jiang of Tsinghua University and Markku Kulmala of the University of Helsinki.
Chinese scientists have designed an innovative dopamine-doped chitosan hydrogel for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Their work has appeared in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers.
By Reginald Davey
5 Sep 2022
Geothermal energy has received significant attention as a renewable energy source. Now, a new paper published in Energies authored by scientists from University of Naples Federico II has reviewed the current body of research to ask how this abundant natural energy resource can be better exploited.
By Reginald Davey
5 Sep 2022
Zygo Corporation — and Digital Surf, creator of the Mountains® software platform for image and surface analysis in microscopy and metrology, today announced the release of Mx™ with Mountains® Advanced Contour.
Vinyl polymerization (polymerization of vinyl compounds) is a useful method for preparing sp3-carbon-based main-chain polymers including commodity plastics, where the polymer backbone is constructed from a two-carbon unit derived from vinyl groups of monomers.
In physics, Schroedinger's cat is an allegory for two of the most awe-inspiring effects of quantum mechanics: entanglement and superposition. Researchers from Dresden and Munich have now observed these behaviors on a much larger scale than that of the smallest of particles.
Thermoelectric devices convert thermal energy into electricity by generating a voltage from the difference in temperature between the hot and cold parts of a device. To better understand how the conversion process occurs at the atomic scale, researchers used neutrons to study single crystals of tin sulfide and tin selenide. They measured changes that were dependent on temperature.
Fraunhofer researchers have created a method for extracting lucrative, high-purity ethyl acetate from whey in cooperation with TU Dresden. In place of traditional ethyl acetate derived from fossil-based raw materials, this can be used, for instance, to create environmentally friendly adhesives.
Superconductors, remarkable substances whose resistance drops below a specific temperature, hold great potential for supplying the world’s expanding energy needs.