American Chemical Society

Electronic hairy skin could give robots a more human sense of touch

Electronic-skin prototypes are stretchy, thin films that can sense temperature, pressure and even monitor blood oxygen or alcohol levels.

Nano-calligraphy on graphene

Scientists have demonstrated a method to chemically modify small regions of graphene with high precision, leading to extreme miniaturisation of chemical and biological sensors.

Towards damage resistant 3D printing materials

Scientists have discovered the secret behind the toughness of deer antlers and how they can resist breaking during fights.

A phone that charges in seconds?

A team of scientists has developed a new process for creating flexible supercapacitors that can store more energy and be recharged more than 30,000 times without degrading.

High-performance batteries from junkyard scraps

Take some metal scraps from the junkyard; put them in a glass jar with a common household chemical; and, voilà, you have a high-performance battery.

Flexible solar panel goes where silicon can't

A group of researchers is producing flexible solar panels that can become part of window shades or wallpaper that will capture light from the sun as well as light from sources inside buildings.

Graphene templates to make new metal-oxide nanostructures

Researchers have found a new method for making ultrathin metal-oxide sheets containing intricate wrinkle and crumple patterns.

One-time pollutant may become valued product

Chemists have discovered that one or more organic compounds in a family that traditionally has been known as pollutants could offer an important advance to make cheap, reliable batteries.

Researchers say 2D boron may be best for flexible electronics

Though they're touted as ideal for electronics, two-dimensional materials like graphene may be too flat and hard to stretch to serve in flexible, wearable devices. "Wavy" borophene might be better, according to scientists.

Battery you can swallow could enable future ingestible medical devices

Non-toxic, edible batteries could one day power ingestible devices for diagnosing and treating disease. One team reports new progress toward that goal with their batteries made with melanin pigments, naturally found in the skin, hair and eyes.

Fungi recycle rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Old batteries often wind up in landfills or incinerators, potentially harming the environment. And valuable materials remain locked inside. Now, a team of researchers is turning to naturally occurring fungi to drive an environmentally friendly recycling process to extract cobalt and lithium from tons of waste batteries.

Stretchy supercapacitors power wearable electronics

A future of soft robots that wash your dishes or smart T-shirts that power your cell phone may depend on the development of stretchy power sources.

Flexible wearable electronic skin patch monitors alcohol levels

Engineers have developed a flexible wearable sensor that can accurately measure a person's blood alcohol level from sweat and transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop, smartphone or other mobile device.

Nanogenerator powers implantable heart monitor

One of the key challenges for in vivo devices is the battery-based power supply, which has limited energy density, short lifetime, chemical side effects, and a large volume.

Wireless, wearable toxic-gas detector

Researchers have developed low-cost chemical sensors, made from chemically altered carbon nanotubes, that enable smartphones or other wireless devices to detect trace amounts of toxic gases.

Bright new future for flexible lighting devices

Researchers have pioneered an innovative new technique to make flexible screens more effective and efficient.

Harnessing solar and wind energy in one device

Researchers have integrated two energy harvesting technologies in one: a silicon solar cell and a nanogenerator that can convert wind energy into electrical output.

Toward dissolvable electronics for implants and sensors

Tiny electronic sensors and devices that can be implanted in the body and then dissolve almost without a trace are getting closer to reality. Scientists have tested several biodegradable materials, including DNA, proteins and metals, for making transient electronics.

3-D printed bone with just the right mix of ingredients

To make a good framework for filling in missing bone, mix at least 30 percent pulverized natural bone with some special man-made plastic and create the needed shape with a 3-D printer.

Scientists improve perovskite solar-cell absorbers by squeezing them

Solar cells made of artificial crystalline structures called perovskites have shown great promise in recent years. Now scientists have found that applying pressure can change the properties of these inexpensive materials and how they respond to light.