News by Subject Technology & Engineering

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that a newly engineered catalyst made of gold nanoparticles supported on a metal oxide framework shows breakdown of ammonia impurities in air, with excellent selectivity for conversion to nitrogen gas. Importantly, it is effective at room temperature, making it suitable for everyday air purification systems. The team successfully identified the mechanism behind this behavior, paving the way towards the design of other novel catalytic materials.

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that the tunable hydrophobic nature of dense siloxane gels is strongly correlated with their catalytic activity, explicitly demonstrating how molecules with different hydrophobic nature at the molecular level interact differently with surfaces of differing hydrophobicity. This is also the first time a siloxane gel has been shown to be highly effective for the reaction of silyl ethers, commonly used as a protecting agent.

The device does not require additional components such as batteries or actuators carried on the back or waist.

Tropical Cyclone Veronica continued to move toward Australia's Pilbara Coast in Western Australia. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided visible and infrared images of the storm that indicated heavy rainfall.

Imagine smart materials that can morph from being stiff as wood to as soft as a sponge - and also change shape. Rutgers University-New Brunswick engineers have created flexible, lightweight materials with 4D printing that could lead to better shock absorption, morphing airplane or drone wings, soft robotics and tiny implantable biomedical devices. Their research is published in the journal Materials Horizons.

University of Maryland physicists have developed a powerful new method to detect radioactive material. By using an infrared laser beam to induce an electron avalanche breakdown near the material, the new technique can detect shielded material from a distance -- improving upon current technologies that require close proximity to radioactive material. With additional engineering, the method could be scaled up to scan shipping containers at ports of entry, providing a powerful new tool for security applications.