Breaking open the AI black box, team finds key chemistry for solar energy and beyond

Screening process for new chemical candidates becomes dramatically simpler than blindly searching around chemical space

10-Sep-2024 - Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool for researchers, but with a significant limitation: The inability to explain how it came to its decisions, a problem known as the “AI black box.” By combining AI with automated chemical synthesis and experimental validation, an interdisciplinary team of ...

Halogen bonding for selective electrochemical separation

Path to sustainable chemical processing demonstrated

20-Aug-2024 - With a new polymer that only attracts certain substances from solutions when electrically activated, researchers have taken a major step towards sustainable chemical separation. A team based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has reported the first demonstration of selective ...

Increasing solid-state electrolyte conductivity and stability using helical structure

12-Aug-2024 - Solid-state electrolytes have been explored for decades for use in energy storage systems and in the pursuit of solid-state batteries. These materials are safer alternatives to the traditional liquid electrolyte—a solution that allows ions to move within the cell—used in batteries today. However, ...

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 ...

Study reveals how 'forever chemicals' may impact heart health in older women

"Our results show you can’t lump all PFAS together"

11-Jun-2024 - New research from theUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaignhas linked multiple types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”) with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in postmenopausal women. Specifically, thestudyreveals how PFAS chemicals ...

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry

Using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells

12-Mar-2024 - Batteries are usually studied via electrical properties like voltage and current, but new research suggests that observing how heat flows in conjunction with electricity can give important insights into battery chemistry. A team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has ...

AI technique 'decodes' microscope images, overcoming fundamental limit

“We’ve given a proof-of-concept and shown how to use AI to significantly improve AFM images, but this work is only the beginning”

12-Mar-2024 - Atomic force microscopy, or AFM, is a widely used technique that can quantitatively mapmaterial surfaces in three dimensions, but its accuracy is limited by the size of the microscope’sprobe. A new AI technique overcomes this limitation and allows microscopes to resolve material features ...

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 ...

Mimicking biological enzymes may be key to hydrogen fuel production

An ancient enzyme may be crucial in the world’s push toward a renewable energy economy

31-Mar-2023 - An ancient biological enzyme known as nickel-iron hydrogenase may play a key role in producing hydrogen for a renewables-based energy economy, researchers said. Careful study of the enzyme has led chemists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to design a synthetic molecule that mimics ...

Previously unseen processes reveal path to better rechargeable battery performance

A new electron microscopy technique allows to collect images of the inner workings of batteries

14-Nov-2022 - To design better rechargeable ion batteries, engineers and chemists from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign collaborated to combine a powerful new electron microscopy technique and data mining to visually pinpoint areas of chemical and physical alteration within ion batteries. A study ...