Tag: chemistry
-
Nanotech Materials Solution Devised for Hydrogen Storage
Chemical engineers at University of New South Wales in Australia synthesized and demonstrated a material that absorbs, releases, and reabsorbs hydrogen, a key step in advancing hydrogen as an alternative fuel source. The team from the university’s Materials Energy Research Laboratory in nanoscale (MERLin) published its findings last week in the journal ACS Nano; paid…
-
Chemical in Hand Soap Found to Impair Muscle Functions
Research at University of California at Davis and University of Colorado in Aurora indicates triclosan, an antibacterial chemical used in soap and other personal-care products, hinders muscle contractions in animals, causing weakness in mice and slower swimming ability in fish. The team led by UC Davis veterinary medical professor Isaac Pessah published its findings online…
-
Sapphire Fiber Optics Deliver Higher Transmission Capacity
Materials scientists and engineers from Clemson University in South Carolina and University of Illinois developed sapphire fibers with greater capacity for high-energy optical transmissions than current silica-based fibers. The team led by John Ballato, director of Clemson’s Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (pictured left), appears online in this week’s issue of Nature…
-
New Fuel Cell Generates More Power from Wastewater
Ecological engineers at Oregon State University in Corvallis developed techniques that advance the use of wastewater from cities or factories to generate electricity. The findings of the team led by Hong Liu (pictured right), professor of biologicial and ecological engineering, appear in the journal Energy and Environmental Science; paid subscription required. Earlier microbial fuel cells…
-
Polymer Materials Discovered That Resist Bacteria Attachment
Researchers at University of Nottingham in the U.K. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology identified a new class of polymer materials that resist the attachment of bacterial pathogens. The team headed by Nottingham’s Morgan Alexander appears online in the journal Nature Biotechnology (paid subscription required). According to the university, infections related to medical devices, caused by…
-
Composite Nanofibers Developed for Orthopedic Biomaterials
Biomedical engineers at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia developed a technology for creating composite nanoscale fibers for replacement tissue to treat orthopedic injuries. The team led by Penn medical school professor Robert Mauck published its findings online this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (paid subscription required). Recent advances in…
-
Simple Process Devised to Make Thin-Film Display Material
Researchers at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and Advanced Technology Materials Inc. in Danbury, Connecticut developed a simpler and less expensive process for producing thin films of indium tin oxide used in touch-screen displays and solar panels. The team led by Brown chemistry professor Shouheng Sun (pictured right) published its findings online in a…
-
ARPA-E to Fund $43 Million for Energy Storage R&D Projects
Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), in the U.S. Department of Energy, will support 19 new research and development projects to improve the management of energy storage technologies for vehicles and electrical power grids. The projects, totaling $43 million, will be funded out of the Energy Department’s Advanced Management and Protection of Energy Storage Devices (AMPED)…
-
Biotech Chemical Company Raises $41.5M in Venture Funds
Genomatica, a developer of chemicals from renewable feedstocks in San Diego, raised $41.5 million in series D financing, the fourth cycle of venture funding after start-up. The round includes the Italian chemical company and new corporate partner Versalis, with existing investors Alloy Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Mohr Davidow Ventures, TPG Biotech, VantagePoint Capital Partners, and…
-
Life Science Analytics Start-Up Generates First Sales
Tymora Analytical Operations LLC, a developer of analytic technology for drug development in West Lafayette, Indiana, says the company is generating its first sales income after only two years in business. The Purdue University spin-off licenses research done by biochemist W. Andy Tao (pictured left), who also serves as Tymora’s chief scientist. The company is…