Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have revealed how a catalyst in a promising chemical reaction for industry helps make ammonia, a major ingredient in fertilizer. Copper oxide is a key catalyst in the electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction, a greener alternative to the existing Haber-Bosch process. They discovered that copper particles are created mid-reaction, helping convert nitrite ions to ammonia. This insight into the underlying mechanisms promises leaps forward in developing new industrial chemistry.

Sugar-based liquid solvents store injection-based therapeutics such as insulin and vaccines. Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Mohammad Halim is seeking to extend their useful life cycle.

In a study published in Science Advances, researchers describe a membrane achieved a record-breaking selectivity of 1,800, meaning it allows hydrogen to pass through 1,800 times more easily than CO2. Membranes like this, due to their energy efficiency and absence of chemical wastes, are critically important to reducing carbon emissions and supporting cleaner industrial processes.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have precisely quantified “quantum tunneling” of hydrogen atoms in palladium at low temperatures, motion that is impossible for classical particles. Channeling nuclear reaction analysis revealed hydrogen hopping in palladium from less stable tetrahedral sites to more stable octahedral sites. The tunneling rate exhibited slight positive and negative temperature dependences, showing that phonons and electrons in palladium facilitated the tunneling process, respectively.

●  Direct imaging: Laser-driven deformation and fragmentation of C60 is recorded in real-time by X-ray imaging.

●  Unexpected response: "Breathing" motion of the molecule predicted by theory is not seen in the experiment.

●  Complex dynamics: Many-electron dynamics or ultrafast heating could explain the discrepancies.

●  Future applications: The time-resolved X-ray imaging may be applied to laser-controlled chemistry even in large (bio-)molecules.

Whether you’re a home gardener or an industrial farmer, you might be familiar with mulching films — plastic sheets laid over the soil to protect seedlings and promote crop growth. But like many other plastic materials, these films can release damaging microplastics and don’t have any insect-repelling power. So, a team reporting in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology has developed an alternative biodegradable mulching film that also naturally repels pests using citronella oil.