Flow research on the outskirts of space

Experiments in weightlessness isolate classic diffusion phenomenon

05-Jun-2024 - For years, various models have been developed to describe an important class of mixing effects that occur, for example, in the flow in a chemical reactor. Experimental validation, however, has lagged far behind due to the superimposition of gravity effects. A European research team involving the ...

Tuning the energy gap: A novel approach for organic semiconductors

14-Jun-2021 - What is already established for inorganic semiconductors stays a challenge for their organic counterparts: Tuning the energy gap by blending different semiconducting molecules to optimize device performance. Now, scientists from TU Dresden, in cooperation with researchers at TU Munich, as well as ...

Can I mix those chemicals? There's an app for that!

New technology can find the safest way to store and dispose of reactive chemicals

27-Jan-2020 - Improperly mixed chemicals cause a shocking number of fires, explosions, and injuries in laboratories, businesses, and homes each year. A new open source computer program called ChemStor developed by engineers at the University of California, Riverside, can prevent these dangerous situations by ...

Mixing the unmixable

Novel approach for efficiently fusing different polymers

24-Jan-2020 - Cross-linked polymers are structures where large molecular chains are linked together, allowing exceptional mechanical properties and chemical resistance to the final product. However, their modification is not easy. Now, scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology develop a method that allows ...

Un-mixing using lasers to make new crystals

08-Mar-2018 - Scientists have managed to separate two liquids in a mixture using a laser, which they claim will lead to new ways of manipulating matter and creating crystals for industry. Researchers from the University of Glasgow present a novel approach to separate and create new phases using a simple laser. ...

Multiresponsive nanosurfactant constructs tiny chemical factory

12-Jan-2018 - When people hear of surfactants, they normally think of a static chemical compound used to stabilize droplets in the manufacture of soaps, detergents, or paints. Research has shown that active forms of surfactants can respond to individual external stimuli, but what if it could interact with more ...

Coffee physics

15-Dec-2017 - For anyone who has marveled at the richly colored layers in a cafe latte, you're not alone. Princeton researchers, likewise intrigued, have now revealed how this tiered structure develops when espresso is poured into hot milk. "The structure formation in a latte is surprising because it evolves ...

Nanoparticle supersoap creates 'bijel' with potential as sculptable fluid

27-Sep-2017 - A new two-dimensional film, made of polymers and nanoparticles and developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), can direct two different non-mixing liquids into a variety of exotic architectures. This finding could lead to soft ...

Oil and water may combine if conditions are right

30-Aug-2017 - They say that oil and water do not mix ... but now scientists have discovered that - under certain circumstances - it may be possible. A new study suggests that some oily molecules - which normally repel water - can be forced to dissolve in water when the two substances are squeezed together ...

Discovery of 'helical molecular glue'

11-Apr-2017 - The research group led by Professor Hideto Tsuji conducts basic and applied researches on biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources such as corn or potato starch. The group mainly studies a typical biodegradable polymer poly(lactic acid). Poly(lactic acid) is hydrolyzed and degraded ...