Chemistry

Scientists at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, develop a novel “heterostructured” photocatalyst using titanium and copper, two abundant and relatively inexpensive metals. Their cost-effective synthesis procedure, coupled with the high stability of the photocatalyst, provides an economically feasible way to convert waste carbon dioxide and water into useful hydrocarbon fuels using endless sunlight.

Scientists at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea have found a way to improve the efficiency of betavoltaic devices, a type of power source that uses an internal radioactive material. This study opens up a new horizon in the field of nuclear batteries for powering set-and-forget electronic devices.

A team at Tohoku University has succeeded in growing large single crystals of tin monosulfide, a material used in next generation solar cells.

A new catalyst design enables unprecedented control over the modification of fatty acid derivatives that opens the door to creating useful substances in a green and efficient manner.

In catalytic reactions with organocatalysts, it is difficult to control radical reactions. We designed a thiazolium-type N-heterocyclic carbene catalyst having an N-neopentyl group. This catalyst was found to actively control radical reactions and enabled production of more than 35 species of bulky dialkyl ketones from an aliphatic aldehyde and an aliphatic carboxylic acid derivative through a radical relay mechanism. This catalyst is expected to open the way for acceleration of drug discovery research.

Researchers have found electrons that behave as if they have no mass, called Dirac electrons, in a compound used in rewritable discs, such as CDs and DVDs. The discovery of “massless” electrons in this phase-change material could lead to faster electronic devices.

The research team directed by H. Shimomoto and E. Ihara in Ehime University synthesized pH-responsive dendronized polymers by C1 polymerization of dendron-containing diazoacetates, and demonstrated a unique pH-responsive behavior of the resulting polymers. These achievements will contribute to progress in the field of polymer chemistry and will allow us to develop new types of smart soft materials.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in ACS Nano a high-speed atomic-force microscopy study of the formation of protein fibrils (amyloids) associated with pathologies in collaborated research with Showa University. Mixing different variants of a single protein and changing the acidity of its environment is shown to result in significant variations in amyloid structure and elongation rates.

Hokkaido University researchers have found a soft and wet material that can memorize, retrieve, and forget information, much like the human brain. They report their findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

A hemispherical vanadium oxide cluster has a cavity that can accommodate a bromine molecule. It was found that a bromine molecule trapped in the cavity was polarized and that an alkane molecule like pentane, butane and propane could be brominated with the bromine molecule in the cavity with a selectivity differing from ordinary bromination. The present findings are expected to be useful for polarization of small molecules and design of highly functional catalysts.

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Biomaterials a high-speed atomic-force microscopy study of protein filaments in the nuclear pore complex. The visualization in real-time of the filaments’ dynamics is an important step in our understanding of molecular transport mechanisms between a cell nucleus and its surrounding medium.

Most common thin-film solar panels consist of expensive rare-earth elements like indium and gallium, or highly toxic metals like cadmium. Environment-friendly solar panels consisting of the abundant materials Cu, Zn, Sn offer attractive alternatives, but are hindered by their low practical efficiency compared to their theoretical potential. Researchers from DGIST have now discovered a way to overcome these hurdles.

Scientists are looking for ways to make millions of molecule-sized robots swarm together so they can perform multiple tasks simultaneously.

Hokkaido University scientists have succeeded in synthesizing an α,α-difluoroglycine derivative, a type of α-amino acid, based on a reaction path predicted by quantum chemical calculations. This novel method, combining experimental chemistry and computational chemistry, could innovate the development of new chemical reactions.

A group of Japanese scientists has developed an ultrastable, selective catalyst for dehydrogenate propane – an essential process to produce the key petrochemical substance of propylene – without deactivation, even at temperatures of more than 600°C.

Scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Korea, develop a novel silica-based cathode for lithium–sulfur batteries, thereby enabling the realization of batteries that can last for over 2000 charge/discharge cycles. The possibility of successfully using the unconventional silica could spark a paradigm shift in rechargeable battery designs.

(1) The development of solid state and time-step VCD methods opened a new horizon to reveal the mechanism of chirality amplification from microscopic to supramolecular scales. (2) The authors were selected as PCCP Emerging Investigators of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

This research focuses on formic acid (HCOOH) (which can be produced from carbon dioxide) as a vehicle to store hydrogen. This research brings clarity to the mechanism of hydrogen production which has befuddled scientists until now.

The generation of alkyl radicals was achieved by direct visible-light excitation of the organoborate complex, which was designed and synthesized from “boracene,” which has a boron atom in the tetracene-like skeleton. The alkyl radicals thus obtained could be used as a carbon source for chemical reactions, enabling the synthesis of complicated/bulky organic compounds. The present study offers a new protocol for organic synthesis, which is expected to accelerate e.g. drug discovery.

Open access book output has doubled in two years, supporting Springer Nature’s commitment to open research

Hydrogen fuel cells made with coordination polymer glass membranes could produce as much energy as their liquid-based counterparts while adding strength and flexibility.

Insights into a flipping crystal could further research into the development of autonomous robots.

Open access chemistry database PubChem will now include thousands of links to chemical and physical properties of materials from the SpringerMaterials database

Researchers at Kanazawa University and Tsukuba University report in Nanoscale that the physical properties of extracellular bacterial membrane vesicles are significantly diverse. The properties for a single type of bacterium as well as for different types are found to be highly heterogeneous.

A joint research group at Osaka City University and Sakai Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. have succeeded to synthesize black phosphorus with one-pot solvothermal reaction with red phosphorus in ethylenediamine used as a solvent.

A new technique allows researchers to test how the deformation of tiny train track-like cell proteins affects their function. The findings could help clarify the roles of deformed “microtubules” in traumatic brain injuries and in neurological diseases like Parkinson’s.

The remaining “bound water” on cotton surfaces cross-link single fibers of cotton, causing hardening after natural drying, according to a new study conducted by Kao Corporation and Hokkaido University. This provides new insight into unique water behaviors on material surfaces and helps us develop better cleaning technologies.

Physicists have been trying to observe the quantum phenomenon Kondo cloud for many decades. An international research team has recently developed a novel device that successfully measures the length of the Kondo cloud and even allows for controlling the Kondo cloud. The findings can be regarded as a milestone in condensed matter physics and may provide insights for understanding the multiple impurity systems, such as high-temperature superconductors.

A recent study, affiliated with South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has introduced a new composite catalyst that could efficiently enhance the charg-discharge performances when applied to metal-air batteries (MABs),

Two faculty members from South Korea's Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have been honored with meritorious citations and awards for their outstanding research performance.