Major breakthrough: New additive process can make better — and greener — high-value chemicals

“Our research opens up fascinating possibilities for the future of pharmaceutical and agrochemical development”

30-Jul-2024 - Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) have achieved a significant breakthrough that could lead to better — and greener — agricultural chemicals and everyday products. Using a process that combines natural enzymes and light, the team from the ...

Pushing the boundaries of eco-friendly chemical production

Researchers use light-powered enzymes to modify azaarenes laying the groundwork for a sustainable future

20-Nov-2023 - A team of pioneering researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has made a significant leap forward in the complex world of molecular chemistry. Their focus? Azaarenes, unique molecular puzzle pieces crucial to many everyday products, from eco-friendly ...

Novel process extends life cycle of valuable catalysts: A greener option for chemical manufacturers

Electrochemical approach offers a solution to the decades-long challenge of recycling homogeneous catalysts

25-Oct-2022 - Imagine a typical recycling plant. Now imagine that the plant is a chemistry lab, and the crushed soda cans and waist-high stacks of junk mail have been replaced by microscopic structures worth tens of thousands of dollars per gram. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois ...

New US and German collaboration aims to produce green hydrogen more efficiently

NSF-DFG EChem Award Announcement

27-Jul-2021 - Through a new award program, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) have joined forces to award the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Technical University of Darmstadt a three-year $720,000 research grant ($500,000 ...

Graphene: The more you bend it, the softer it gets

21-Nov-2019 - New research by engineers at the University of Illinois combines atomic-scale experimentation with computer modeling to determine how much energy it takes to bend multilayer graphene - a question that has eluded scientists since graphene was first isolated. Graphene - a single layer of carbon ...

Catalysts combination opens doors to making useful compounds

17-Aug-2018 - Researchers have developed a new method that aids in the process of making valuable compounds by using a unique combination of catalysts. Huimin Zhao, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and leader of the Biosystems Design research theme at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic ...

Team achieves two-electron chemical reactions using light energy, gold

16-May-2018 - Scientists are one step closer to building a carbon-recycling system that can harvest solar energy to efficiently convert CO2 and water into liquid fuels. By optimizing many parts of the system, the researchers say, they can now drive two-electron chemical reactions, a substantial advance over ...

Shape-shifting organic crystals use memory to improve plastic electronics

29-Jan-2018 - Researchers have identified a mechanism that triggers shape-memory phenomena in organic crystals used in plastic electronics. Shape-shifting structural materials are made with metal alloys, but the new generation of economical printable plastic electronics is poised to benefit from this ...

A new spin to engineer better absorptive materials

15-Nov-2017 - A team of University of Illinois bioengineers has taken a new look at an old tool to help characterize a class of materials called metal organic frameworks - MOFs for short. MOFs are used to detect, purify and store gases, and could help solve some of the world's most challenging energy, ...

Electrostatic force takes charge in bioinspired polymers

06-Nov-2017 - Researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have taken the first steps toward gaining control over the self-assembly of synthetic materials in the same way that biology forms natural polymers. This advance could prove useful in designing new bioinspired, ...