News by Subject Chemistry & Physics

What makes quasicrystals so interesting? Their unusual structure. A Cornell lab has joined scientists pursuing this relatively new area of study.

As graphene's popularity grows as an advanced 'wonder' material, the speed and quality at which it can be manufactured will be paramount. With that in mind, the research group of SungWoo Nam, assistant professor of mechanical science and engineering at Illinois, has developed a cleaner and more environmentally friendly method to isolate graphene using carbon dioxide (CO2) in the form of carbonic acid as the electrolyte solution.

Famously described as 'the deepest problem in solid state physics' by Nobel Laureate, Philip Andersen, the glass transition, by which a liquid transforms into a solid without freezing, is shedding its mystique.

In quantum mechanics particles can behave as waves and take many paths through an experiment. It requires only combinations of pairs of paths, rather than three or more, to determine the probability for a particle to arrive somewhere. Researchers at the universities of Vienna and Tel Aviv have addressed this question for the first time explicitly using the wave interference of large molecules behind various combinations of single, double, and triple slits.

Researchers at Rice University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory predict and experimentally confirm that two-dimensional materials grown onto a cone allows control over where defects appear. These defects, called grain boundaries, can be used to enhance the materials' electronic, mechanical, catalytic and optical properties.

Dual-functioning MOF material autonomously ensures indoor humidity is just right.

University of Chicago physicists working in the nascent field of experimental vortex dynamics have, with unexpected help from a Sharpie marker, measured an elusive but fundamental property of fluid flow.

Since the seminal work of Paul Flory, researchers have developed various formulas for calculating distance between the ends of a curved polymer. However, these formulas have typically failed to consider the stretchiness of the molecule. In a new study, published this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics, scientists have derived a formula to determine the end-to-end distance of a semiflexible polymer, including DNA or RNA, while taking into account how much the polymer stretches.

Recent developments in atomic-force microscopy have enabled researchers to apply mechanical forces to individual molecules to induce chemical reactions. A research team from Spain and Germany has now developed a first-of-its-kind algorithm that determines the minimal force it takes to reach the optimal bond breaking point (BBP) at the molecular level to mechanically induce a chemical reaction. They report their findings this week in The Journal of Chemical Physics.