Nucleation

A new technique grows lab diamonds without high pressure, which could revolutionize the gem industry with a sustainable and efficient process.

By design, synthetic molecules typically have specific jobs to prevent or accelerate reactions between other molecules. To help control more complicated reactions, researchers may harness spare space in one molecule to synthesize another chemical structure. The host-guest assembly can better induce the specific desired reaction than either component individually—if the scientists designing the assembly get it right.

Many organisms can produce minerals or mineralized tissue. A well-known example is nacre, which is used in jewelry because of its iridescent colors. Chemically speaking, its formation begins with a mollusk extracting calcium and carbonate ions from water. However, the exact processes and conditions that lead to nacre, a composite of biopolymers and platelets of crystalline calcium carbonate, are the subject of…

A team of MIT researchers has demonstrated a way to precisely control the size, composition, and other properties of nanoparticles key to the reactions involved in a variety of clean energy and environmental technologies.

MIT scientists find the sounds beneath our feet are fingerprints of rock stability.

The next generation of 2D semiconductor materials doesn't like what it sees when it looks in the mirror. Current synthesizing approaches to make single-layer nanosheets of semiconducting material for atomically thin electronics develop a peculiar "mirror twin" defect when the material is deposited on single-crystal substrates like sapphire. The synthesized nanosheet contains grain boundaries that act as a mirror,…

Researchers from Nagoya University and the National Institute of Polar Research in Japan have found that dust from land without snow cover in the Arctic is a major source of particles that form ice crystals in low-level clouds of the Arctic (at altitudes below about 3 km) during summer and fall.

A collaborative team led by researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently invented an innovative method for synthesizing high-quality, semiconducting nanomesh at a lower temperature and production cost than conventional methods. The findings will help enable the large-scale production of nanomesh for next-generation electronics.

Human lives have been revolutionized since lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were successfully commercialized. However, modern portable electronics have increased energy demands and thus require batteries with high energy density. Directly using Li metal as an anode is considered a promising strategy due to its ultra-high capacity (3860 mA h g-1) and low negative electrochemical potential (- 3.04 V versus the standard…

Within the larger, "true" universe, ours could have branched off due to a random quantum fluctuation.

National University of Singapore (NUS) pharmaceutical scientists have developed synthetic peptide nanonets for treating infections by bacteria strains resistant to last-resort antibiotics.

An international research team has conducted a study of new particle formation (NPF) events in the atmosphere of Beijing, which provides the first evidence of the importance of transport in NPF events in the urban atmosphere. Such atmospheric NPF events influence air quality, climate, and human health.

Carbon-based electrocatalysts are considered as promising alternatives to the state-of-the-art precious metal catalysts. Heteroatom doping can effectively create highly active catalytic centers, but unfortunately, result in lower electronic conductivity and thus hinder the electrocatalysis process.

Single crystals are materials in which the crystal lattice is continuous and unbroken to the edges of the sample, with no grain boundaries. The atoms occupy regular positions, which are repeated indefinitely in space. While polycrystals are made up of many crystal grains or crystallites of varying sizes and orientations, monocrystals consist of a single grain.

According to research, rising temperatures and continuous stratification cause the formation of carbonate crystals, which emit CO2.

Quasi two-dimensional perovskite solar cells (2D PSCs) have received much attention recently due to their unique optoelectronic properties and excellent device stability. Among 2D perovskite, 2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskite has closer interlayer distance and does not rely on van der Waals interaction between adjacent spacer cations, which can weaken dielectric confinement effect while maintaining its structural…

Carbon monoxide is ultra-bright and extremely common in protoplanetary disks, making it a prime target for astronomers.

It's a development that could significantly increase the accuracy of weather and climate forecasting.

A research team has developed a new electrode design that is set to enable the rechargeability of alkaline zinc batteries, one of the most common types of non-rechargeable batteries used in our daily lives, shedding light on a wider application of rechargeable batteries.

MIT researchers determined exactly what happens as crystal grains in metals form during an extreme deformation process, at the tiniest scales, down to a few nanometers across. The findings could lead to better, more consistent properties in metals, such as hardness and toughness.