Matter and energy from Science Daily Feed

Among the many chemicals we use every day, ammonia is one of the worst for the atmosphere. The nitrogen-based chemical used in fertilizer, dyes, explosives and many other products ranks second only to cement in terms of carbon emissions, due to the high temperatures and energy needed to manufacture it. But by improving on a well-known electrochemical reaction and orchestrating a 'symphony' of lithium, nitrogen and hydrogen atoms, engineers have developed a new ammonia production process that meets several green targets.

Researchers introduce a groundbreaking alternative to reduce secondary battery costs.

Nearly every modern cellphone has a built-in compass, or magnetometer, that detects the direction of Earth's magnetic field, providing critical information for navigation. Now a team of researchers has developed a technique that uses an ordinary cellphone magnetometer for an entirely different purpose -- to measure the concentration of glucose, a marker for diabetes, to high accuracy.

Researchers have developed physics-based guidelines that will benefit host-guest intercalated materials research. By using only two guest properties and eight host-derived descriptors, they correctly predicted the intercalation energies and stabilities of many host-guest systems. This work is an important advance that will minimize the extensive trial-and-error laboratory work that otherwise slows down research and development in battery and superconductor technologies.

Using state-of-the-art tissue engineering techniques and a 3D printer, researchers have assembled a replica of an adult human ear that looks and feels natural. The study offers the promise of grafts with well-defined anatomy and the correct biomechanical properties for those who are born with a congenital malformation or who lose an ear later in life.

Scientists have shown that Barkhausen noise can be produced not only through traditional, or classical means, but through quantum mechanical effects. The research represents an advance in fundamental physics and could one day have applications in creating quantum sensors and other electronic devices.

Analysing the diversity of organic compounds dissolved in freshwater provides a reliable measure of ecosystem health, say scientists.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) might be best known from text or image-creating applications like ChatGPT or Stable Diffusion. But its usefulness beyond that is being shown in more and more different scientific fields.

Researchers suggests a groundbreaking strategy to expedite the commercialization of metalens technology.

A breakthrough in sustainable molecular transformations has been announced. Chemists have developed an important way to harness the power of visible light to drive chemical processes with greater efficiencies, offering a greener alternative to traditional methods.

Building upon recent findings showing the promise of coating the inner surface of the vessel containing a fusion plasma in liquid lithium, researchers have determined the maximum density of uncharged particles at the edge of a plasma before certain instabilities become unpredictable. The research includes observations, numerical simulations and analysis from their experiments inside a fusion plasma vessel called the Lithium Tokamak Experiment-Beta (LTX- ). This is the first time such a level has been established for LTX- , and knowing it is a big step in their mission to prove lithium is the ideal choice for an inner-wall coating in a tokamak because it guides them toward the best practices for fueling their plasmas.

A research team has addressed the long-standing challenge of creating artificial olfactory sensors with arrays of diverse high-performance gas sensors. Their newly developed biomimetic olfactory chips (BOC) are able to integrate nanotube sensor arrays on nanoporous substrates with up to 10,000 individually addressable gas sensors per chip, a configuration that is similar to how olfaction works for humans and other animals.

Engineers designed an 'architected' reef that can mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while providing pockets for marine life. The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.

What would you do if you walked up to a robot with a human-like head and it smiled at you first? You'd likely smile back and perhaps feel the two of you were genuinely interacting. But how does a robot know how to do this? Or a better question, how does it know to get you to smile back?

New multidisciplinary research could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting.

Researchers have developed an organic photovoltaic film that is both waterproof and flexible, allowing a solar cell to be put onto clothes and still function correctly after being rained on or even washed.

Focusing a tailored laser beam through transparent glass can create a tiny spot inside the material. Researchers have reported on a way to use this small spot to improve laser material processing, boosting processing resolution.

Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy. A study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines. The research, which looked at extensive heat and cold waves across the six interconnected energy grid regions of the U.S. from 1980-2021, also found that every region experienced power outages during these events in the past decade. The findings suggest that using more renewable energy at these times could help offset increased power demand as more people and businesses turn on heaters or air conditioners.

Quantum simulators are quantum systems that can be controlled exceptionally well. They can be used to indirectly learn something about other quantum systems, which cannot be experimented on so easily. Therefore, quantum simulators play an important role in unraveling the big questions of quantum physics. However, they are limited by temperature: They only work well, when they are extremely cold. Scientists have now developed a method to cool quantum simulators even more than before: by splitting a Bose-Einstein-condensate in half, in a very special way.

Researchers are enhancing immunotherapy effects against malignant tumors by developing and validating patent-ending poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid), or PLGA, nanoparticles modified with adenosine triphosphate, or ATP.