Tag: chemistry
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Liquid Coating Prevents Biofilm Build-Up on Surfaces
Researchers at Harvard University tested a new liquid coating that prevents the accumulation of bacterial communities called biofilms from forming on surfaces. The team of engineers and materials scientists published its findings online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Biofilms are collections of bacteria found on exposed surfaces in home, commercial,…
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Patent Awarded for Heat Resistant Polylactic Acid Polymers
Cereplast Inc., a manufacturer of bio-based plastics in El Segundo, California, received a patent for its formulation of heat-resistant polymers with polylactic acid. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued number 8,222,320 to Cereplast CEO Frederic Scheer and researcher William Kelly on 17 July 2012. Polylactic acid is a natural resin that can be formed…
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Highly Transparent Solar Cells Developed for Window Glass
Researchers at University of California in Los Angeles have developed solar cells with greater transparency that can be made to fit over windows and generate electric power. The findings from a team of UCLA engineers, materials scientists, and chemists appeared earlier this month in the journal ACS Nano (paid subscription required). The team developed a…
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Scientists Produce Ultralight Carbon Nanotube Material
Researchers at Kiel University and Hamburg University of Technology in Germany have developed a network of porous carbon nanotubes that they say is the lightest material in the world. The research team, which includes a colleague from the Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification in Leipzig, published its findings online in the journal Advanced Materials. The…
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National Lab Seeks Commercial Partner for Diagnostics Tool
Sandia National Lab in Livermore, California is seeking a partner to commercialize its desktop medical diagnostics technology that the lab says is faster, less expensive, and more versatile than current diagnostics tools. The SpinDx, as it is known (pictured left), can tell in minutes a patient’s white blood cell count, analyze important protein markers, and…
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Air Force Grant to Fund Research on Nanomaterials Shaping
Funding from the U.S. Air Force is supporting multi-disciplinary research on the ability of nanomaterials to change their shape in response to external stimuli, such as heat and light. The $2.9 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research will support a project that touches on chemistry, biology, computer science, and engineering, led…
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Renewable Chemicals Developer Raises $104M in Venture Funds
Elevance Renewable Sciences in Woodbridge, Illinois says it raised $104 million in its series E financing, the fifth round of funding after start-up. Lacustrine Limited, a subsidiary of Genting Berhad, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia led the round with Total Energy Ventures International, based in Paris. Elevance produces specialty chemicals for personal care products, detergents,…
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UN Body Releases New Food Safety Standards
The UN’s Codex Alimentarius Commission issued new safety standards for infant formula, fruit, and seafood, as well as recommendations for nutritional labeling. The commission, a joint standards body of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), released the standards at its 2-7 July meeting in Rome. Codex standards can…
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X-Ray Efficiency Boosted with Nanomaterials
Physicists in the U.S. and China have developed nanoscale materials using a design based on the eye of a moth to increase the efficiency of X-ray devices, which can lead to higher resolution images with lower doses of radiation. The research team led by Yasha Yi at City University of New York published its findings…
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Nanotech Coatings Found to Protect Ships from Barnacles
Chemists and molecular biologists in Germany and the Netherlands have tested coatings with vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles as an alternative to tin- and copper-based substances that prevent the build-up of marine organisms on ships’ hulls. The team led by Wolfgang Tremel of Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany reported their findings online this week in the…