— Graphene lights up with new possibilities — The future brightened for organic chemistry when researchers at Rice University found a highly controllable way to attach organic molecules to pristine graphene, making the miracle…
— Scientists develop brand new class of small molecules through innovative chemistry — Inspired by natural products, scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have created a new class of small molecules with the potential to serve as a rich foundation…
— New 'smart' material could help tap medical potential of tissue-penetrating light — Scientists are reporting development and successful initial testing of the first practical 'smart' material that may supply the missing link in efforts to use in medicine a form of…
— Formaldehyde: Poison could have set the stage for the origins of life — Formaldehyde, a poison and a common molecule throughout the universe, is likely the source of the solar system's organic carbon solids - abundant in both comets and asteroids. Scientists…
— Exploring the possibilities for zeolites — Some people collect stamps and coins, but when it comes to sheer utility, few collections rival the usefulness of Rice University researcher Michael Deem's collection of 2.6 million…
— Microreactors: Small scale chemistry could lead to big improvements for biodegradable polymers — Using a small block of aluminium with a tiny groove carved in it, a team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Polytechnic Institute…
— Small code change, big effect — Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have developed a new method which enables researchers to label any protein of their choice with…
— New imaging technique provides rapid, high-definition chemistry — With intensity a million times brighter than sunlight, a new synchrotron-based imaging technique offers high-resolution pictures of the molecular composition of tissues with unprecedented…
— New method could improve economics of sweetening natural gas — Natural gas extracted from the nation's coal beds and methane-rich geologic features must first be purged of hydrogen sulphide before it can be used as fuel. Until now, processing methods…
Artificial leaf could debut new era of 'fast-food energy'
Technology for making an 'artificial leaf' holds the potential for opening an era of 'fast-food energy,' in which people generate their own electricity at home with low-cost equipment perfect for the 3 billion people living in developing countries and even home-owners in the United States. That's among the prospects emerging from research on a new genre of 'electrofuels' described in the current edition of Chemical and Engineering News, the American Chemical Society's weekly newsmagazine.
In the article, C and EN Senior Correspondent Stephen K. Ritter describes research on electrofuels, made by using energy from the sun and renewable ingredients like water and carbon dioxide, reported at a gathering of experts sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E). Created in 2009 by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, ARPA-E is funding electrofuels research, with the goal of developing technologies that improve on nature's approach - photosynthesis. Electrofuels is one of 12 programs funded by ARPA-E.
The artificial leaf is one of the electrofuels technologies. Made of inexpensive materials, the leaf breaks down ordinary water into the oxygen and hydrogen that can power an electricity-producing fuel cell. Just drop the credit-card-sized device into a bucket of water and expose it to sunlight. With the cost-conscious technology, one door-sized solar cell and three gallons of water could produce a day's worth of electricity for a typical American home. The article describes a range of other electrofuel technologies, including ones based on engineered microbes, being developed in the quest for new ways of making fuels.
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