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Category: chemistry

Bio-based polymer offers a sustainable solution to ‘forever chemical’ cleanup

Researchers at the University of Bath have discovered a renewable, bio-based polymer membrane capable of efficiently capturing toxic “forever chemicals” from water, offering a potential new route to more sustainable water treatment. The paper is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a member of the per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) family and once commonly used in non-stick coatings, has now been widely detected in water sources worldwide. High levels of exposure have been linked to cancers, hormone disruption, and immune system suppression, with governments around the world taking action to protect people and the environment.

Unlike many conventional water treatment materials that require frequent replacement or generate secondary waste, the new bio-based membrane can trap and hold over 94% of PFOA from water. It can later be treated with heat to remove the trapped pollutants, allowing the polymer to be reused and reprocessed into a new membrane.

‘Gray-box’ AI reveals why catalysts work while speeding discovery

Self-driving laboratories (SDLs) powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly accelerating materials discovery, but can they also explain their results? Researchers from the Theory Department of the Fritz Haber Institute, in collaboration with BASF, and BasCat—UniCat BASF JointLab, show that they can.

Their new AI-driven strategy works hand-in-hand with SDLs to identify better catalysts while revealing the chemistry behind their performance. The approach was validated on the industrially crucial conversion of propane into propylene.

An SDL integrates an AI doing the experiment planning with lab automation and robotics. In the race to develop better materials, AI and SDLs are often celebrated for one main reason: speed.

Boron arsenide semiconductor sets record in quantum vibrations

You may not be able to hear it, but all solid materials make a sound. In fact, atoms—bound in lattices of chemical bonds—are never silent nor still: Under the placid surface of each and every object in our surroundings, a low hum hovers or a high-energy squeak titters.

As atoms vibrate in their lattices, they do so by either all moving in the same direction, in which case their collective vibration shows up as a low humming sound, or by moving in opposite directions from one another, giving rise to an energetic vibration that registers as a bright squeak or titter.

New NMR method allows the observation of chalcogen bonds

Toward the right side of the periodic table below oxygen, are the chalcogens, or “ore-forming” elements. The chalcogens that occur naturally, including sulfur, selenium and tellurium, are all somehow involved in biological processes. Molecules containing sulfur, like the antioxidant glutathione, play a central role in redox regulation, the balance between oxidation and reduction that is essential for maintaining cellular health.

Recent studies have suggested that the heavier selenium and tellurium are active in biological redox systems as well, but the instability of molecules containing chains of different chalcogen atoms has made structural analysis difficult.

Traditional methods have largely relied on mass spectrometry, which cannot be used to directly observe molecular bonds. This limitation motivated a team of researchers at Kyoto University to develop a method that would allow them to more clearly observe chains of chalcogens. The paper is published in the journal ACS Measurement Science Au.

New lipid nanoparticle design improves precision of mRNA vaccine delivery

Penn Engineers have redesigned a key component of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the delivery vehicles behind mRNA vaccines, to steer the particles toward lymph nodes while reducing off-target delivery to the liver. The advance could make mRNA vaccines more efficient, potentially achieving strong immune protection at lower doses.

“The more particles that reach the lymph nodes, the fewer particles each dose needs,” says Michael J. Mitchell, Associate Professor in Bioengineering (BE) and senior author of a new study in Journal of the American Chemical Society that describes how the researchers modified the ionizable lipid, a key LNP ingredient that helps mRNA enter cells.

In animal models, the new “aroLNPs,” whose name refers to the addition of a chemical structure called an “aromatic ring” to the ionizable lipid, delivered at least 10-fold less mRNA to the liver compared to the LNP formulation in the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, while maintaining similar levels of lymph-node delivery.

Ultrastructural preservation of a whole large mammal brain with a protocol compatible with human physician-assisted death

Ultrastructural Preservation of a Whole Large Mammal Brain (bioRxiv, 2026) ⚠️ Preprint – not yet peer-reviewed.

A 2026 preprint builds on over a decade of brain preservation research, demonstrating that whole mammalian brains (pigs) can be preserved with remarkable structural fidelity under near–real-world, end-of-life conditions.

The study refines aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation (ASC)—a technique previously recognized by the Brain Preservation Foundation. This method combines chemical fixation (aldehydes), cryoprotectants, and controlled cooling to prevent ice damage and preserve neural structure at the nanoscale. — What the study shows.

Whole pig brains preserved with intact cellular and synaptic architecture.

Preservation remains viable even with delayed postmortem intervals (~10 minutes)

Tissue remains perfusable and structurally stable after fixation.

Protocol moves toward clinically realistic implementation, not just lab conditions.

Continue reading “Ultrastructural preservation of a whole large mammal brain with a protocol compatible with human physician-assisted death” | >

The Sound of Contamination: A Comprehensive Analysis of Endocrine Disruptors and Hazardous Additives in the Headphones

The ToxFree Life for All project analysed 81 headphone models (180 material samples) across Central Europe and online marketplaces like Temu and Shein. 100% of products contained hazardous substances, including bisphenols, phthalates, and flame retardants. While these products do not pose an acute or “imminent” danger, the cumulative and synergistic effects of chronic exposure to these chemical classes pose a long-term risk to public health, therefore having a negative impact on sovereign consumer choice. The individual consumer has limited power to choose a safe product. Consumer protection is a systemic problem that cannot be solved by individual choice; it must be addressed at the institutional level.

Hair-thin fiber-optic sensors could detect cancer by reading multiple biomarkers

Microscopic sensors that are as thin as a strand of hair but capable of taking multiple measurements simultaneously could revolutionize the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases like cancer. Researchers from Adelaide University’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing and the University of Stuttgart in Germany worked together to develop the tiny sensors using state-of-the-art, ultrafast 3D micro-printing technology.

The unique sensors target specific biomarkers and are printed directly onto the tip of optical fibers. They’re able to monitor several signals at the same time, including temperature and chemical changes. The paper is published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.

“This breakthrough could lead to next-generation medical tools that track disease, guide treatment and monitor the body in real time,” said Associate Professor Shahraam Afshar, the project’s lead researcher from Adelaide University’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing.

Atomic disorder strategy could help high-capacity batteries last longer

Researchers at UNIST, in collaboration with the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) and KAIST, have introduced a novel approach to stabilizing high-capacity battery materials. By intentionally inducing atomic-level disorder within lithium-rich layered oxide (LRLO) cathodes, the team has effectively minimized structural degradation and energy losses, paving the way for next-generation batteries with higher energy density and longer lifespan.

The findings of this research have been published online in ACS Energy Letters.

Lithium-rich layered oxides (LRLO) are among the most promising cathode materials for future energy storage solutions due to their exceptional capacity, which involves not only metal ions but also oxygen participating in electrochemical reactions. However, their practical application has been hindered by structural instability during repeated charge and discharge cycles, leading to capacity fade and voltage degradation.

Johns Hopkins awarded $15M to develop platform to study neurological diseases, screen chemicals

The DROID platform will extend current in vitro approaches—test tubes and culture dishes—to modeling learning and memory using brain organoids, addressing a critical gap: Current in vitro assays cannot capture higher-order neural responses, and evaluations of neurotoxicity or drug efficacy still primarily rely on animal behavioral tests.

The researchers will also evaluate brain organoids derived from both healthy individuals and patients with Alzheimer’s disease and individuals with SYNGAP1-related disorders—a rare pediatric condition associated with intellectual disability, seizures, and autism—to test neural responses and sensitivity to pharmacological interventions.

By enabling researchers to assess complex neural responses that currently rely on animal behavioral tests, the DROIDp system aims to improve drug discovery and neurotoxicity testing. Ultimately, the goal of this platform is to provide a more predictive, human-relevant approach for studying neurological diseases and evaluating the safety of drugs and chemicals.

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