In a novel twist in cybersecurity, scientists have developed a self-cleaning, self-powered smart keyboard that can identify computer users by the way they type. The device, reported in the journal ACS Nano, could help prevent unauthorized users from gaining direct access to computers. Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues note that password protection is one of the…
Nanowire Clothing Generates & Traps Heat Better Than Regular Clothing
To stay warm when temperatures drop outside, we heat our indoor spaces – even when no one is in them. But scientists have now developed a novel nanowire coating for clothes that can both generate heat and trap the heat from our bodies better than regular clothes. They report on their technology, which could help…
The Surprising History of Tinsel
It’s been a holiday decoration staple for decades, and it turns out that silver stuff hanging from your tree has quite a storied past. Tinsel has been made out of everything from real silver, to lead to other dangerously flammable materials. This week’s Speaking of Chemistry decks your halls with the history of tinsel.
Worm’s Gut Bacteria Can Degrade Plastic
Plastic is well-known for sticking around in the environment for years without breaking down, contributing significantly to litter and landfills. But scientists have now discovered that bacteria from the guts of a worm known to munch on food packaging can degrade polyethylene, the most common plastic. Reported in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology,…
Microrockets Fueled by Water Neutralize Chemical & Biological Warfare Agents
With fears growing over chemical and biological weapons falling into the wrong hands, scientists are developing microrockets to fight back against these dangerous agents, should the need arise. In the journal ACS Nano, they describe new spherical micromotors that rapidly neutralize chemical and biological agents and use water as fuel. Joseph Wang and colleagues point…
‘Electronic Skin’ to Detect Breast Cancer
For detecting cancer, manual breast exams seem low-tech compared to other methods such as MRI. But scientists are now developing an “electronic skin” that “feels” and images small lumps that fingers can miss. Knowing the size and shape of a lump could allow for earlier identification of breast cancer, which could save lives. They describe…
‘Electronic Skin’ Could Improve Early Breast Cancer Detection
For detecting cancer, manual breast exams seem low-tech compared to other methods such as MRI. But scientists are now developing an “electronic skin” that “feels” and images small lumps that fingers can miss. Knowing the size and shape of a lump could allow for earlier identification of breast cancer, which could save lives. They describe…
A Fix to Our Cell-Phone Waste Problem?
When it comes to cell phones, the world is stunningly wasteful. Customers will buy more than 1.8 billion new ones by the end of this year only to abandon almost half of them to drawers, and they’ll recycle a mere 3 percent of them. But creative and enterprising efforts are underway to reverse the seemingly…
‘Shape-Shifting’ Material Could Help Reconstruct Faces
Injuries, birth defects (such as cleft palates) or surgery to remove a tumor can create gaps in bone that are too large to heal naturally. And when they occur in the head, face or jaw, these bone defects can dramatically alter a person’s appearance. Researchers will report today that they have developed a “self-fitting” material…
Could Hemp Nanosheets Become the Ideal Supercapacitor?
As hemp makes a comeback in the U.S. after a decades-long ban on its cultivation, scientists are reporting that fibers from the plant can pack as much energy and power as graphene, long-touted as the model material for supercapacitors. They’re presenting their research, which a Canadian start-up company is working on scaling up, at the…
Tattoo Biobatteries Produce Power from Sweat
San Francisco, Aug. 13, 2014 — In the future, working up a sweat by exercising may not only be good for your health, but it could also power your small electronic devices. Researchers will report today that they have designed a sensor in the form of a temporary tattoo that can both monitor a person’s…
On the Frontiers of Cyborg Science
No longer just fantastical fodder for sci-fi buffs, cyborg technology is bringing us tangible progress toward real-life electronic skin, prosthetics and ultraflexible circuits. Now taking this human-machine concept to an unprecedented level, pioneering scientists are working on the seamless marriage between electronics and brain signaling with the potential to transform our understanding of how the…
On the Frontiers of Cyborg Science
San Francisco, CA Aug. 10, 2014 — No longer just fantastical fodder for sci-fi buffs, cyborg technology is bringing us tangible progress toward real-life electronic skin, prosthetics and ultraflexible circuits. Now taking this human-machine concept to an unprecedented level, pioneering scientists are working on the seamless marriage between electronics and brain signaling with the potential to…
Nature Inspires a Greener Way to Make Colorful Plastics
Long before humans figured out how to create colors, nature had already perfected the process — think stunning, bright butterfly wings of many different hues, for example. Now scientists are tapping into those secrets to develop a more environmentally friendly way to make colored plastics. Their paper on using structure — or the shapes and…
An Anti-Glare, Anti-Reflective Display for Mobile Devices
If you’ve ever tried to watch a video on a tablet on a sunny day, you know you have to tilt it at just the right angle to get rid of glare or invest in a special filter. But now scientists are reporting in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces that they’ve developed a…
Toward a New Way to Keep Electronics from Overheating
Computer technology has transformed the way we live, but as consumers expect ever more from their devices at faster speeds, personal computers as well as larger electronic systems can overheat. This can cause them to slow down, or worse, completely shut down. Now researchers are reporting in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research…
Using Google Glass to Map the Future of Medical Testing
A team of researchers at UCLA has transformed Google Glass into a powerful, wearable medical testing laboratory. Aydogan Ozcan and his team developed an application that reads dozens of different types of diagnostic tests for malaria, prostate cancer and HIV, to name a few. In the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) newest Breakthrough Science video, Ozcan…
Rechargeable Nano-Generator
Zhong Lin Wang and his colleagues at Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a new rechargeable nano-generator that can power smart phones, and many other portable electronic devices. Read: Harnessing Everyday Motion to Power Mobile Devices Imagine powering your cell phone by simply walking around your office or rubbing it with the palm of your…
Harnessing Everyday Motion to Power Mobile Devices
Dallas, March 16, 2014 — Imagine powering your cell phone by simply walking around your office or rubbing it with the palm of your hand. Rather than plugging it into the wall, you become the power source. Researchers at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific…
Making Nanoelectronics Last Longer for Medical Devices, ‘Cyborgs’
The debut of cyborgs who are part human and part machine may be a long way off, but researchers say they now may be getting closer. In a study published in ACS’ journal Nano Letters, they report development of a coating that makes nanoelectronics much more stable in conditions mimicking those in the human body.…
Electronically Controlled Drugs Could Minimize Side Effects
Potential side effects of many of today’s therapeutic drugs can be downright frightening — just listen carefully to a drug commercial on TV. These effects often occur when a drug is active throughout the body, not just where and when it is needed. But scientists are reporting progress on a new tailored approach to deliver…
A Self-Healing Protective Coating for Concrete
Scientists are reporting development of what they describe as the first self-healing protective coating for cracks in concrete, the world’s most widely used building material. Their study on the material — which is inexpensive and environmentally friendly — appears in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Chan-Moon Chung and colleagues explain that protecting concrete…