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Tag: materials sciences

The Story Behind Our Infinitely Recyclable Plastic

Improved Desalination Process Also Removes Toxic Metals to Produce Clean Water

UC Berkeley chemists synthesized a flexible polymer membrane incorporating nanoparticles called “porous aromatic frameworks.” The membrane selectively absorbs nearly 100% of metals such as mercury, copper, or iron during desalination, more efficiently producing clean, safe water. The membrane can incorporate a single type of tuned nanoparticle if the metal is to be recovered – or several different types, each tuned to absorb a different metal or ionic compound if multiple contaminants need to be removed in one step. (Credit: Adam Uliana/UC Berkeley)

The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic

Person standing in front of plastic compressed recycling blocks

To Design Truly Compostable Plastic, Scientists Take Cues From Nature

X-Ray Study Recasts Role of Battery Material from Cathode to Catalyst

Wanli Yang, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, working on a resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) system. Yang adapted the RIXS technique to study lithium-rich battery materials. (Credit: Wanli Yang/Berkeley Lab)

The Spintronics Technology Revolution Could Be Just a Hopfion Away

Artist’s drawing of characteristic 3D spin texture of a magnetic hopfion. Top layer shows a simulation of the spin structure viewed with surface-sensitive X-PEEM; bottom layer is a simulation of a bulk-sensitive X-ray transmission microscopy image; middle layer – colors indicate the varying direction of the spins showing the winding characteristic. (Credit: Peter Fischer and Frances Hellman/Berkeley Lab)

This Ultrathin Sensor Could Save Your Lungs – and the Climate

VIDEO: Revealing the Nano Big Bang – Scientists Observe the First Milliseconds of Crystal Formation

Molecular Foundry gold crystal

Do You Know the Way to Berkelium, Californium?

berkelium californium heavy elements

New Optical Antennas Could Overcome Data Limits

Topological Antenna

VIDEO: On the Line: Watching Nanoparticles Get in Shape

nanoparticles-cosmetics

A 1-Atom-Deep Look at a Water-Splitting Catalyst

Rendering - This illustration shows two possible types of surface layers for a catalyst that performs the water-splitting reaction, the first step in making hydrogen fuel: The gray surface is lanthanum oxide and the colorful surface is nickel oxide. A rearrangement of nickel oxide’s atoms while carrying out the reaction made it twice as efficient. Researchers hope to harness this phenomenon to make better catalysts. Lanthanum atoms are depicted in green, nickel atoms in blue, and oxygen atoms in red. (Credit: CUBE3D)