Tag: chemistry
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Faster, Cheaper Thermoelectric Materials Process Developed
Engineers and materials scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York have discovered new methods to create nanomaterials for more efficient refrigerators and cooling systems with no refrigerants or moving parts. The research is described in a paper published online in the journal Nature Materials (paid subscription required), and the authors have started commercializing…
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Sanofi, VCs Back Start-Up Deriving Natural Product Drugs
The French drug maker Sanofi, with American venture capital (VC) companies Third Rock Ventures and Greylock Partners, are investing up to $125 million in Warp Drive Bio a new biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Warp Drive Bio, being incubated at Third Rock Ventures, specializes in using genomics to derive drug candidates from natural sources, such…
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U.S. Patent Granted for Anti-Microbial Polymer Technology
Quick-Med Technologies Inc. in Gainesville, Florida says it has received a patent for its process that combines disinfectant and polymer to apply anti-microbial properties to surfaces, including human skin. Patent number 8,088,400, awarded on 3 January 2012 by the U.S. Patent and Tradmark Office, covers the company’s solution with opposite-charged polymers built into its line…
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Apple Files Patent Applications for Fuel Cell Power
Apple Inc. in Cupertino, California has filed two U.S. patent applications for building fuel cell systems into the power supplies used in their electronic devices. The patent applications were reported yesterday on the Web site AppleInsider. One invention outlines a fuel cell system to directly power a portable electronic device. In this system, a fuel…
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Nanotech Solar Energy Paint Developed
Researchers at University of Notre Dame in Indiana have created an inexpensive paste made with semiconducting nanoparticles to produce a spreadable substance that can generate energy. The work of chemistry professor Prashant Kamat and colleagues is described in the 6 December issue of the journal ACS Nano (paid subscription required). Kamat’s team based the compound…
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New Methods Proposed for Testing Allergens Without Animals
A doctoral dissertation at University of Gothenburg in Sweden has outlined testing methods for allergenic substances that do not require the use of lab animals. Ph.D. candidate in chemistry Sofia Andersson (pictured right) defended the dissertation in Gothenburg earlier this month, and is working with the university’s business development office to advance the methods to…
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Self-Healing Integrated Circuit Material Developed
A team of University of Illinois researchers in Champaign has developed a self-healing process that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in barely an instant. Illinois engineering professor Scott White, materials science professor Nancy Sottos, chemistry professor Jeffrey Moore, and colleagues published their findings online in the journal Advanced Materials (paid subscription required). Electronic…
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Algae Protein Electrodes Boost Photosynthesis Process
Researchers from the Swiss research institute Empa, University of Basel in Switzerland, and Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago have developed electrodes made from algal protein that mimic a key process in photosynthesis used to directly generate hydrogen from water. The team describes their findings in the online issue of the journal Advanced Functional Materials (paid…
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Vanderbilt Team Develops Simple Medical Test Prep Device
Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville are developing a medical collection and preparation system that promises to bring diagnostic testing to the poorest areas of the world. The device, called the Extractionator, is the product of Vanderbilt biomedical engineer Rick Haselton, chemist David Wright, and biochemist Ray Mernaugh. Haselton, Wright, and Mernaugh received a $1…
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FDA, Ohio Consortium to Partner on Biomaterials Regulations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) are collaborating on the development of regulations affecting biomaterials in medical devices. The consortium of Akron, Ohio area hospitals, universities, and foundations signed the partnership agreement with FDA yesterday. The FDA and ABIA established the partnership to develop the research protocols…