Tsunami in a water glass

Live observation of the birth of an electron dissolved in water

17-Feb-2023 - A new experiment has made it possible to observe the effects of an electron in solution on the surrounding liquid. So-called hydrated electrons play a major role in many physical, chemical and biological processes. They are not bound to an atom or molecule and are free in the solution. Since they ...

Laser controls ultra-fast liquid switch

Researchers unveil a brand new concept for switches with unprecedented speed

15-Dec-2022 - Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, have developed an ultra-fast water-based switch. A short but powerful laser pulse converts the water into a conductive state within less than a trillionth of a second (10-12 seconds), during which time it behaves almost like a metal. This makes it ...

Unexpected energy storage capability where water meets metal surfaces

Capacitively stored charge at platinum interfaces can be significantly higher than previously assumed

20-Jan-2022 - A new method can measure the electrical (re-)charging of boundary layers between very small, metallic particles and aqueous solutions and understand it at a molecular level. Researchers from the RESOLV Cluster of Excellence at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have used current and voltage ...

How Confined Protons Migrate

When less than two nanometers of space is available, there is a traffic jam in the proton transport network

10-Sep-2021 - Protons in aqueous solution can usually migrate very quickly – much faster compared to other ions. However, this only applies when they are in a space greater than two nanometers, as a study from Ruhr University-Bochum and the University of California Berkeley shows. In confined spaces the ...

How water helps the substrate into the enzyme

When water is present in tiny quantities it develops special properties

16-Dec-2020 - An international research team has investigated water molecules in a tiny cage – and discovered previously unknown properties. Researchers from Bochum and Berkeley have investigated why cages can increase the catalytic activity of enclosed molecules. Using terahertz spectroscopy and complex ...

Water molecules are gold for nanocatalysis

Some catalysts show remarkable high activity - Thanks to water

28-Jul-2020 - Nanocatalysts made of gold nanoparticles dispersed on metal oxides are very promising for the industrial, selective oxidation of compounds, including alcohols, into valuable chemicals. They show high catalytic activity, particularly in aqueous solution. A team of researchers from Ruhr-Universität ...

Wrapping up hydrophobic hydration

Studied in detail, the embedding of hydrophobic molecules in water looks quite different than previously assumed

01-Jul-2020 - In water, hydrophobic molecules are surrounded by a two different water populations: the inner shell forms a two-dimensional network of water molecules. The next layer is formed by a second water population that is almost bulk like but forms slightly stronger hydrogen bonds to the bulk water. The ...

Water molecules dance in three

Scientists shed new light on the properties of water at the molecular level

27-Apr-2020 - Water may look like a simple liquid. However, it is anything but simple to analyse. The unique properties of water are only understandable, if scientists observe the interaction of the molecules. An international team of scientists lead by Professor Martina Havenith from Ruhr-Universität Bochum ...

How two water molecules dance together

14-Aug-2019 - Although water is omnipresent, the interaction between individual water molecules is not yet fully understood. An international research team has gained new insights into how water molecules interact. For the first time, the researchers were able to completely observe all of the movements between ...

Lightning bolt underwater

01-Jul-2019 - A plasma tears through the water within a few nanoseconds. It may possibly regenerate catalytic surfaces at the push of a button. Electrochemical cells help recycle CO2. However, the catalytic surfaces get worn down in the process. Researchers at the Collaborative Research Centre 1316 “Transient ...