ResearchPOP - Research POP (Page 6)

Energy

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics team assembles paired Rh–In sites during propane dehydrogenation

Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c13687 At a glance A team at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics reports that trace CO₂ or H₂O in a propane feed can help assemble paired Rh–In sites during propane dehydrogenation. The oxidizing cofeeds are introduced into an otherwise reducing

Chemistry

Indian Institute of Science-led team maps nearly 9,400 steps in copper-catalyzed CO₂ hydrogenation

Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77080-4 At a glance How large must a reaction network be to describe CO₂ hydrogenation on copper? A team led by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science calculated 152 elementary reactions using density functional theory, then combined machine learning with

Chemistry

Westlake University researchers tune ruthenium complexes for electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation

Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c14417 At a glance A Westlake University team compared a series of ruthenium complexes bearing NMe₂, H and CF₃ substituents to examine how ligand electronics and a reversibly coordinating carboxylate shape ammonia oxidation. The complexes share the same broader coordination framework, allowing the

Chemistry

Nanjing University of Science and Technology researchers trace how oxygen-vacancy charge states steer peroxide production At a glance

Source: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-026-02256-w At a glance Not all oxygen vacancies behave alike. In tetragonal zirconia, a team led by researchers at Nanjing University of Science and Technology compared two vacancy charge states known as F² and F¹ centres. Although both are created by

Chemistry

KAIST-led team watches blue TiO₂ carriers move from shallow to deep traps

Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c10078 At a glance How do oxygen vacancies change the fate of photogenerated charge carriers in blue TiO₂? Tae Gyun Woo and colleagues combine femtosecond Ti K-edge X-ray transient absorption, optical transient absorption and electronic-structure calculations. Early carrier cooling and

Chemistry

Arizona State University team tests nanobubbles as a CO2 supply for electrochemical formate production

Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c13561 At a glance CO2 electroreduction depends not only on the electrode but also on how CO2 reaches it. Aaron Z. Hoagland and colleagues coupled a nanobubble generator to a tin-cathode H-cell and compared it with conventional macrobubbling. With an air-

Materials Science

Empa and ETH Zurich researchers map what makes wide-bandgap perovskite films emit more strongly

Source: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.77319 At a glance Why do some wide-bandgap perovskite films emit more strongly than others? Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich prepared and characterized 569 samples using combinatorial vapor deposition, independently varying the cesium-to-lead and bromide-to-

Rice University team uses iron photocatalysis to unlock anti-Markovnikov alkene hydroalkylation

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-026-01600-0 At a glance A direct way to extend a carbon skeleton is to add an alkyl fragment and a hydrogen atom across an alkene. This hydroalkylation builds a C(sp3)–C(sp3) bond from abundant starting materials. For unactivated alkenes,

UNSW-led team accelerates water desorption at a liquid-metal-graphene oxide interface for high-rate solar evaporation

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-026-01934-4 At a glance Solar-driven interfacial evaporation concentrates heat close to the water-air interface, allowing sunlight to produce water vapour without heating an entire body of water. Research in this area has focused on light absorption, photothermal conversion and

Chemistry

East China Normal University team couples inner- and outer-sphere chemistry for methane-to-formic-acid electrosynthesis

Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c09942 At a glance Methane is abundant, but its strong carbon-hydrogen bonds make selective conversion under mild conditions a demanding chemical task. A team led by East China Normal University reports an electrocatalytic route that converts methane into formic acid by coordinating

Energy

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics team uses electrolyser waste heat to co-produce hydrogen and fresh water from seawater

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-026-02130-6 At a glance Seawater provides an abundant water source for green hydrogen production, but its direct use in an electrolyser introduces chloride chemistry, calcium and magnesium deposits, corrosion and membrane contamination. Desalinating seawater before electrolysis protects the electrolyser, although conventional

Chemistry

Macau University of Science and Technology and collaborators use dynamic Zn-site asymmetry to steer urea and peroxide electrosynthesis

Source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.3649572 At a glance Single-atom catalysts offer well-defined active sites, and their coordination environments provide a way to regulate how reaction intermediates bind. Researchers from Macau University of Science and Technology, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of