Mixing industrial byproducts offers greener thermal energy storage
A one-pot synthetic procedure turns lignin and fatty acid waste into a useful phase change material
Machine learning concocts carbon dioxide conversion catalyst
Computation guides experiments towards a de-alloyed copper–aluminium catalyst
Hydrogel boosts power of self-cooling solar panels
Material that sucks water from air increases solar cells’ performance by up to 19%
Catalyst breaks only molecules’ toughest C–H bonds
Level up for borylation with catalyst that targets molecules’ least reactive carbon–hydrogen bond
Unnatural cyclic amino acids push limits of ribosome
Expanding repertoire of monomers for ribosome-mediated polymerisation is boon for scientists wanting to harness nature’s protein factories
Mineral map hopes to end concrete that has damaged thousands of US homes
Concrete containing pyrrhotite can disintegrate on exposure to air and water
Luxury blue paint pigment catalyses its own ‘disease’
Discovery could help preserve Renaissance masterpieces
Algorithm tracks down buried treasure among existing compounds
Tool tested by picking photoactive molecules out of a pharma database
Wriggling worms help explain how certain polymers move and flow
Experiments with live worms may shed light on mysterious biological processes governed by the behavior of tiny moving filaments
Electrochemistry steers microplastics management in the right direction
Microchannel with strategically placed wires sorts plastic particles according to type
Keep The Scream dry to preserve its pigments, chemical analysis suggests
Moisture – not light – hastens the degradation of yellow cadmium colours in Edvard Munch’s 1910 painting
Self-assembling silver dendrites boost flux of carbon capture membrane
Non-equilibrium permeation conditions stimulate silver network growth in molten-carbonate membranes
Amazing slow motion video catches hydrogen flames going fractal
The clean fuel can combust with potentially devastating beauty in narrow gaps when mixed with air
100 unit sugar breaks record for longest synthetic carbohydrate
Longest linear polysaccharide was made in a 201-step automated synthesis that took only eight days
Nanodroplet encapsulation technique crystallises the ‘uncrystallisable’
High-throughput method that uses mere micrograms of small molecule samples could ease frustration for crystallographers
First glimpse caught of how a molecule changes when it absorbs light
X-rays enable direct observation of the initial step of a light-driven reaction
Method decorates cubane with multiple aromatic groups
Di-, tri- and tetra-arylcubanes created by directed ortho-C–H metalation and palladium-catalysed cross-coupling
Photosynthesis rewired to generate hydrogen
Gene transplant repositions algal hydrogenase so that it directly captures electrons from photosystem I
Artificial chloroplasts turn CO2 into multicarbon molecules, powered only by light
Microfluidic platform opens up non-natural metabolic pathways
Record amounts of ammonia produced from nitrogen and water
Greener ammonia synthesis proceeds at room temperature and pressure using hydrogen from water splitting
Six-month validation behind polymer that prevents biofilm growth
Zwitterionic surface could cut infections by repelling bacteria
Sugar shack test set to flip procedure for maple syrup quality control
Plasmonic tongue sensor checks maple syrup flavour in minutes
Yeast thriving in hydrogen hints at possibility of life on exoplanets
First demonstration of non-adapted microorganisms growing in 100% H2 shows that life could exist even under seemingly hostile conditions
Energy harvesting device runs on shadows
Study endorses shadows as an untapped source of renewable energy
Spectroscopy from space lets satellites spy out ocean plastic patches
The technique could show where and how floating plastic patches form, and raise awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans
Molecular cages give amides a twist to increase reactivity up to 14 times
Squeezing amides into twisted conformation inside nanosized cages makes them easier to hydrolyse
Evidence that NMR chemical shifts depend on magnetic field strength
Predictions from 1970 finally confirmed
Introducing chirality to give organic electronics a twist
Medicinal molecules and electronic materials aren’t often found in the same research group. Meet Matthew Fuchter, who’s excelling at both