BiotechMashup

Engineers have developed a new method for creating high-performance membranes from crystal sieves called zeolites; the method could increase the energy efficiency of chemical separations up to 50 times over conventional methods and enable higher production rates.

(University of Minnesota) Researchers, led by chemical engineering and materials science professor Michael Tsapatsis in the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology, have developed a more energy-efficient method of chemical separations that could revolutionize processes in the petrochemical and biofuels industries.

Researchers have developed a method for creating single-crystal arrays of the material graphene, an advance that opens the possibility of a replacement for silicon in high-performance computers and electronics. Graphene is a one-atom-thick layer of carbon that was first fabricated in 2004. Single-crystal arrays of the material could be used to create a new class of high-speed transistors and integrated circuits that use less energy than silicon electronics because graphene conducts electricity with little resistance or heat generation.

A new paper hints at the untapped possibilities for making synthetic zeolites -- microporous materials that are used as molecular sieves and catalysts for everything from petroleum processing to nuclear waste disposal. Using computer models, researchers compiled a list of 2.6 million potential zeolite structures that are searchable by geometric arrangement, crystallographic structure and other criteria.

High-performance energy storage technologies for the automotive industry or mobile phone batteries and notebooks providing long battery times – these visions of the future are being brought one step nearer. Researchers have developed a new method that utilizes silicon for lithium-ion batteries. Its storage capacity is ten times higher than the graphite substrate which has been used up to now, and promises considerable improvements for users.

In the quest to produce nuclear fusion energy, researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have recently confirmed long-standing theoretical predictions that performance, efficiency and reliability are simultaneously obtained in tokamaks, the leading magnetic confinement fusion device, operating at their performance limits.

(American Physical Society) In the quest to produce nuclear fusion energy, researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility have recently confirmed long-standing theoretical predictions that performance, efficiency and reliability are simultaneously obtained in tokamaks, the leading magnetic confinement fusion device, operating at their performance limits.

(Rice University) A new paper in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics hints at the untapped possibilities for making synthetic zeolites -- microporous materials that are used as molecular sieves and catalysts for everything from petroleum processing to nuclear waste disposal. Using computer models, Rice University researchers compiled a list of 2.6 million potential zeolite structures that are searchable by geometric arrangement, crystallographic structure and other criteria.

(DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory) Two scientists at the Brookhaven Lab have developed a method to control the buildup of hydrogen fluoride gas during the growth of precision crystals needed for applications such as superconductors, optical devices, and microelectronics. The invention could lead to more efficient production and improved performance of these materials.