
Tim Wogan
After initially planning to study English at university, I decided that, just in case I turned out not to be the next Hillary Mantel, it might be better to devote my life to my other great love – science, where I believed I was sure to make great discoveries. Three years studying physics at Cambridge University disabused me thoroughly of that notion, and, having learned that I was never going to make a notable discovery of my own in a world full of infinitely better scientists than I was, I decided to return to plan A and make my living writing about theirs instead. I studied science communication at Imperial College London and, after a brief internship as a reporter on the European news desk of Science, I’ve been writing freelance. Since 2019, I’ve been living in the US.
- Research
New understanding of why supercooled water droplets sometimes explode when they freeze
Imaging experiments with thousands of observations help scientists detail complex freezing process
- Research
Supercapacitor cement could supercharge renewable energy storage
Addition of carbon black is all that’s needed to allow cement to hold charge
- Research
Fluorinated ligands stabilise perovskite solar cells
Findings offer new insight into how coatings interact with perovskites
- Research
Anticounterfeiting secrets of Benjamin Franklin’s paper money revealed
Sophisticated analytical techniques brought to bear on US notes from the 18th century
- Research
Silicon and perovskite work perfectly in tandem to produce 30%+ efficient solar cells
Combination of materials allows higher energy photons to be captured to beat silicon’s limit
- Research
Liquid water could have carved Mars’ famous gullies
CO2 sublimation could have raised atmospheric pressure enough for liquid water to form
- Research
Hand-built caesium-based ‘artificial atoms’ used to create ‘synthetic’ benzene
Manufactured atoms offer chemists chance to play ‘mind games’ with matter and change bond order of molecules
- Research
Lithium dendrite understanding will help unpick durability issues of solid-state batteries
Fractures found to occur in two stages, with cracks initially occurring at pores
- Research
Identifying single atoms with x-ray specificity
Combining synchrotron x-rays with scanning tunnelling microscopy gives atomic resolution
- Research
Twisted carbon nanotubes make ideal replacements for damaged ligaments
Rabbits and sheep can still walk and jump normally after transplantation of synthetic ligaments
- Research
Flexible silicon solar cells could be rolled out on tricky to cover buildings
Bendy silicon cells should be cheaper than thin-film alternative
- Research
Ladder-like polymer that could halt electrical overheating divides opinion
Questions raised over reported structure and whether the polymer can even perform as researchers hope
- Feature
The Sun rises on perovskites
With the first solar cells scheduled for commercial sale this year, Tim Wogan looks at the long, hard road to producing stable perovskite photovoltaics
- Research
Less is more for copper catalyst when it comes to synthesising acetate from CO
Electrochemical process that targets specific intermediate produces valuable chemical feedstock more efficiently
- Research
Pulsed pyrolysis offers better way to breakdown plastics into their building blocks
US team hopes that catalyst-free system could be greener and more efficient than than other depolymerisation attempts
- News
Composite achieves the virtually impossible – it’s electrically conducting, while thermally insulating
Material shows exceptional heat resistance while still conducting electricity and could find uses in aerospace
- Research
Used masks and plastic packaging turned into high-octane fuel at low temperatures
Endothermic reaction coupled with an exothermic one to keep the processes energy costs down
- Research
Unique molecular state at ultracold temperatures points way to controlling chemical reactions
Deeper understanding of interactions close to absolute zero could also aid creation of exotic quantum matter
- Research
Zircon study prompts redox state rethink surrounding hydrothermal pools thought to harbour life’s first molecules
Research combining experiments with modelling suggests hydrothermal fluid was 30% as saline as sea water today and more oxidised than the surrounding mantle
- Research
Super-resolution microscopy ditches fluorescent tags for gentler imaging of live cells
Infrared laser technique could deliver benefits for study of cells’ biochemistry