Surface chemistry reveals corrosive secrets

Precise Measurements are the Molecular Lens to Seeing Chemistry

18-Oct-2021 - One can easily see with the naked eye that leaving an old nail out in the rain causes rust. What does require the keen eyes and sensitive nose of microscopy and spectroscopy is observing how iron corrodes and forms new minerals, especially in water with a pinch of sodium and calcium. Thanks to a ...

Forget defrosting your car at a glacial pace

New research speeds process up tenfold

12-Jul-2017 - Jonathan Boreyko turned on the defroster in his car one cold winter morning and waited for the ice on the windshield to melt. And kept waiting. Boreyko, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, knew there had to ...

Better 'fingerprints' to detect elusive, valuable chemical compounds

28-Jun-2017 - Imagine being able to see the entire Statue of Liberty and a small ant on its nose simultaneously. The drastic difference in size between the two objects would seem to render this task impossible. On a molecular level, this is exactly what a team led by Sandia National Laboratories chemists David ...

How surface texture can help or hinder formation of ice crystals

19-May-2017 - A new study examining how ice forms from pure water found that the geometry of the surface that water is on can have an effect on whether or not it freezes, suggesting that surface geometry plays an important role in ice formation. Greater understanding of how ice forms could have implications ...

Movable microplatform floats on a sea of droplets

16-Dec-2016 - Microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, are tiny machines fabricated using equipment and processes developed for the production of electronic chips and devices. They've found a wide variety of applications in today's consumer electronics, but their moving parts can wear out over time as a result ...

Researchers find thin layers of water can become ice-like at room temperature

31-Aug-2016 - New research by scientists at The University of Akron (UA) shows that a nanometer-thin layer of water between two charged surfaces exhibits ice-like tendencies that allow it to withstand pressures of hundreds of atmospheres. The discovery could lead to better ways to minimize friction in a ...

Lehigh engineer discovers a high-speed nano-avalanche

24-Aug-2016 - Charles McLaren, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering at Lehigh University , arrived last fall for his semester of research at the University of Marburg in Germany with his language skills significantly lagging behind his scientific prowess. "It was my first trip to Germany, ...

Yale researchers’ technology turns wasted heat into power

29-Jun-2016 - Researchers at Yale have developed a new technology that could make energy from the low-temperature wasted heat produced by industrial sources and power plants, tapping into a widely available — and mostly unused — resource. It is estimated that recoverable waste heat in the U.S. alone could ...

Chemists add color to chemical reactions

Chemists have come up with an innovative new way to visualize and monitor chemical reactions.

20-May-2016 - Members of the Maye Research Group in the Department of Chemistry have designed a nanomaterial that changes color when it interacts with ions and other small molecules during a chemical reaction. Their discovery enables researchers to monitor reactions qualitatively with the naked eye and ...

Pushing the limits of solar cells

04-Dec-2015 - Florida State University researchers are striving to make solar cells more effective at trapping and using light. They're one step closer. Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Kenneth Hanson and his team have introduced a new strategy for generating more efficient solar cells. The ...