Chemistry

A collaborative team of four professors and several graduate students from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemical Science and Technology at National Taiwan University, together with the Department of Applied Chemistry at National Chi Nan University, has achieved a long-sought breakthrough. By combining atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a Hadamard product–based image reconstruction algorithm, the researchers successfully visualized, for the first time, the nanoscopic dynamics of membrane rafts in live cells—making visible what had long remained invisible on the cell membrane.

Researchers have developed technology to convert naturally derived monomers into polymers capsules

Researchers have developed a new class of redox-switchable molecular mediators that activate halogen bonding to more efficiently and selectively drive carbon–nitrogen bond formation.

- Demonstrates applicability to AI and mobility technologies requiring self-sustaining power through high power conversion efficiency and enhanced long-term stability - The research findings were published in the prestigious international journal “Carbon Energy (IF 24.2)”

Scientists at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have captured real-time images showing how a key brain enzyme organizes itself to help memory formation. Their study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that the enzyme CaMKII forms mixed α/β subunit structures whose interactions stabilize learning-related signals in neurons.

A joint research team from National Taiwan University, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, and National Tsing Hua University has discovered a precise molecular engineering strategy. By adjusting the side chains of organic materials, they have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 18.13 percent.

Hydrogen peroxide is essential for daily life, but most of it is still made through energy-intensive industrial processes. Researchers have now developed a new computational framework to identify catalysts that can produce hydrogen peroxide directly from water and electricity, offering a cleaner alternative.

Carbon-based batteries could become safer, more durable, and more powerful by following this new method that fundamentally redesigns how fullerene molecules are connected.

A wearable sensor enables real-time monitoring of disinfectant exposure on skin and plant leaves, advancing health, agriculture, and environmental safety.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo develop an artificial intelligence framework for designing new inorganic materials with humanlike reasoning

A new regional assessment shows that Southeast Asia is a major net source of greenhouse gases, with land-use change and rising fossil fuel use overwhelming natural carbon sinks, reservoirs that store carbon-containing chemical compounds for a long period.

Mutated baker’s yeast at the forefront of alternative 2,3-butanediol production methods

Researchers at Tohoku University found the key to taming electrochemical reactions so they don’t produce rogue byproducts instead of valuable fuels.

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. This research shows how exposing a single active site has huge implications for producing green energy.

Brain atlas, From perfume to plastic, Stable solar power, Plant aging switch, Anti-cancer droplets, Greener gold, Extreme star factory and How research shapes sustainability policy. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

Secures core technology for high-resolution wearable devices through semiconductor transfer technology... Speeds up the commercialization of next-generation health monitoring devices. - Research results published in the prestigious international journal Materials Today.

- Improving the performance and durability of lithium-sulfur batteries by developing a new, highly effective host material that balances high porosity, excellent electrical conductivity, polarity, and catalytic properties. Research results published in ACS Nano, a well-known academic journal in the field of nanomaterials.

- Developed a photoresponsive Z-structure combining amorphous TiO2 and Ag2S nanowires - Maximized light energy conversion efficiency through defect control and structural design. - Research results published in ACS Catalysis.

Rechargeable batteries get a supercharged boost from newly developed RAMOFs that don’t break down in water, which was previously a major problem for this material.

The origin of the elusive preference of copper chalcogenides for selectively converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into formate has long puzzled researchers. Researchers at National Taiwan University have identified a charge-redistribution mechanism that resolves this long-standing debate, providing fundamental insight into the basis of their exceptional selectivity.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, report in ACS Nano the successful creation of artificial synaptic vesicles that can be remotely controlled by near-infrared (NIR) light. By embedding a phthalocyanine dye into lipid bilayers, the team achieved local heating that modulates membrane permeability, enabling precise release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine. These findings demonstrate that nanoscale heating can control communication between nerve cells. The work opens new avenues for non-genetic modulation of neuronal activity, with potential applications in neuroscience, drug delivery, and bioengineering.

Researchers at the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have developed a breakthrough method for quantitative imaging of ATP levels inside living cells. The study, published in Nature Communications, introduces qMaLioffG, a genetically encoded fluorescence lifetime indicator that allows scientists to observe how cells produce and consume energy in real time.

Sonochemical degradation of carbon tetrachloride was found to increase in the presence of alcohols

Surface-bound gels may have provided the structure and chemistry for life to take root on Earth, and perhaps beyond

- Joint research team from DGIST, KAIST, POSTECH, Kyung Hee University, and Kongju National University develops a next-generation, eco-friendly heating and cooling technology that operates without electricity - The research result was selected as the cover study in ‘Advanced Materials’

Scientists turn essential oil compounds into durable yet decomposable polymers.

Researchers from The University of Osaka created a reagent for important building-block molecules with an abundant main-group element, gallium. These early findings show that an organic gallium compound can display transition-metal-like reactivity under light irradiation. Using common main-group elements like gallium offers a new way to make sustainable catalysts that do not need expensive transition metals, which are environmentally damaging and vulnerable to supply disruption.

What if a surface could instantly switch from sticky to slippery at the push of a button? By using electricity to control how ions and water structure at the solid liquid interface of self-assembled monolayers of aromatic molecules, researchers at National Taiwan University have created a molecular-scale adhesion switch that turns attraction on and off.

Researchers from The University of Osaka developed mirror-image semiconductor polymer molecules for organic solar cells. The new acceptor molecules prevent recombination of electrons and holes by generating currents with spin-polarization of about 70% in which one electron spin dominates. Solar cells containing the new acceptors showed three times higher efficiency than the non-mirror-image version. Using mirror-image acceptor molecules provides a new way of increasing efficiency in clean energy technology.

Researchers from The University of Osaka fabricated a nanopore surrounded by a gate as a cooling system with enhanced efficiency for semiconductor chips. Applying a voltage to the gate induces the flow of ions through the nanopore. Creating a salt gradient makes the ion flow unidirectional. Heat is dragged along with the ions, resulting in heat transfer. Changing the applied voltage from negative to positive switches the system from cooling to heating.