American Chemical Society

A Viable Sodium Battery

Researchers have created a sodium-ion battery that holds as much energy and works as well as some commercial lithium-ion battery chemistries, making for a potentially viable battery technology out of abundant and cheap materials.

Controlling Cells with Light

Photopharmacology investigates the use of light to switch the effect of drugs on and off. Now, for the first time, scientific teams have succeeded in using this method to control a component of cells that was previously considered inaccessible.

Expandable Foam for 3D Printing Large Objects

It's a frustrating limitation of 3D printing: Printed objects must be smaller than the machine making them. Huge machines are impractical for printing large parts because they take up too much space and require excessive time to print. Now, a new material can be used to 3D print small objects that expand upon heating. The foam could find applications in architecture, aerospace and biomedicine.

Graphene Biosensor Detects SARS-Co-V-2 in Under a Minute

According to many experts, early diagnosis and management are critical for slowing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Therefore, the race is on to develop diagnostic tests for the virus that are faster, easier and more accurate than existing ones.

Microwaves Power New Technology for Batteries, Energy

New battery technology involving microwaves may provide an avenue for renewable energy conversion and storage.

New Textile Could Keep You Cool in the Heat, Warm in the Cold

Imagine a single garment that could adapt to changing weather conditions, keeping its wearer cool in the heat of midday but warm when an evening storm blows in. Now, researchers report a strong, comfortable fabric that heats and cools skin, with no energy input.

DNA Biosensor for Early Stage Disease Detection

Disease detection at an early stage is one of the biggest challenges biochemists and materials scientists are trying to meet. Researchers used nanotechnology in biomedical diagnostics - a process called nanodiagnostics - to create a new, ultrasensitive DNA biosensor. The new sensor could potentially detect DNA-based biomarkers for early diagnosis of cancer and genetic disorders, as well as monitor patient responses to therapies.

Scavenger Technology Allows Robots to Eat Metal for Energy

When electronics need their own power sources, there are two basic options: batteries and harvesters. Batteries store energy internally, but are therefore heavy and have a limited supply. Harvesters, such as solar panels, collect energy from their environments. This gets around some of the downsides of batteries but introduces new ones, in that they can only operate in certain conditions and can't turn that energy into useful power very quickly.

World's First Ultrasound Biosensor

The ability to accurately monitor drug levels and biological molecules inside patients in real time has remained largely elusive. Most of the implantable monitors invented so far rely on high tech and expensive detectors such as CT scans or MRI. Using ultrasound - which is cheap and portable - as a means to track a disease state as in response of a tumour to a new drug or the risk of a heart attack with the rise of a diagnostic protein called troponin has always been more a Blue Sky than reality.

Neural Networks Facilitate Optimization in Search for New Materials

When searching through theoretical lists of possible new materials for particular applications, such as batteries or other energy-related devices, there are often millions of potential materials that could be considered, and multiple criteria that need to be met and optimized at once. Now, researchers have found a way to dramatically streamline the discovery process, using a machine learning system.

New Sensor Could Help Prevent Food Waste

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. Chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage.

Fish Scales Could Make Wearable Electronics More Sustainable

Flexible temporary electronic displays may one day make it possible to sport a glowing tattoo or check a reading, like that of a stopwatch, directly on the skin. In its current form, however, this technology generally depends on plastic. New research describes a way to make these displays, which would likely be discarded after a single use, more environmentally friendly using a plentiful and biodegradable resource: fish scales.

New Material Could Turn Clothing into a Health Monitor

Researchers are reporting a new material, pliable enough to be woven into fabric but imbued with sensing capabilities that could serve as an early warning system for injury or illness.

Micromotors get Supercharged

Someday, microscopic robots could perform useful functions, such as diagnostic testing in lab-on-a-chip sensors, micropatterning surfaces or repairing equipment in tight spaces. But first, scientists need to be able to tightly control the microbots' speed.

Improving Electrical, Mechanical Properties of Carbon-Nanotube Fibres

Researchers recently developed a technique that can be used to build carbon-nanotube-based fibers by creating chemical crosslinks; the technique improves the electrical and mechanical properties of these materials.

McDonald's Deep Fryer Oil Turned into High-End 3D Printing Resin

Researchers have, for the first time, turned waste cooking oil - from the deep fryers of a local McDonald's - into a high-resolution, biodegradable 3D printing resin.

Cobalt Supply can Meet Demand for EVs and Electronics Batteries

Greater use of electric vehicles might be good for the environment, but further growth hinges on continued availability of critical battery components such as cobalt. Cell phones and other electronics also depend on the element's availability.

Graphene Forms Under Microscope's Eye

You don't need a big laser to make laser-induced graphene. Scientists are using a very small visible beam to burn the foamy form of carbon into microscopic patterns.

Improving Adhesives for Wearable Sensors

By conveniently and painlessly collecting data, wearable sensors create many new possibilities for keeping tabs on the body. In order to work, these devices need to stay next to the skin. In a study, researchers tweaked a widely used polymer to create a potential new adhesive to keep these sensors in place.

Turbocharging Hydrogen Fuel Cells with Novel Ion-Conducting Copolymer

Renewed investments in hydrogen fuel cell technologies and infrastructure by companies like Amazon; nations like China; and automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, are sparking sales and fresh interest in the vast possibilities of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells. The fresh interest could revolutionize transportation and fill streets with vehicles whose only effluent is water vapor.