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Chemistry & Physics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Apr-2025 09:08 ET (30-Apr-2025 13:08 GMT/UTC)

Study finds increase in tropospheric water vapor amplifies global warming and climate change

Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research (OLAR)

Climate change fueled by global warming is one of the biggest issues facing Earth right now. High emissions of green-house gases are the primary reason for the climate warming. So, researchers conducted a study using measurements and reanalysis data to examine the variability and long-term changes in global tropospheric water vapor. They analyzed the factors affecting the variability and trends in water vapor and quantified the impact of changes in water vapor on temperature by estimating its radiative effects. Their study provides new evidence of global change associated with the increase in global water vapor.

Journal: Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research

Fighting microplastics for a cleaner future

Texas A&M University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Creating sustainable chemicals and developing better waste management will contribute to better sustainability. This research is part of figuring out how to make green hydrogen available for waste management using catalysts. Shetty’s research uses solvents in low amounts that also act as hydrogen sources to break down a specific class of plastics called condensation polymers, which include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, packaging, textiles, and 3D printing.

Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Rice discovery taps ‘hot carriers’ for on-demand, emissions-free hydrogen and catalyst regeneration

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rice researchers have developed a new photocatalyst that could render steam methane reforming entirely emissions-free and extend catalyst lifetimes.

Journal: Nature Catalysis
Funder: Welch Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research

Two hundred times better catalysts thanks to carbon

Vienna University of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

How well a catalyst works often depends on the surface it is placed on. For years, it has been known that carbon substrates work well with precious metal catalysts, but it could never be properly explained. Now scientists managed to get to the bottom of this phenomenon - with remarkable results: Metal atoms which are placed directly next to carbon are two hundred times more effective as catalysts.

Journal: ACS Catalysis

Carbon recycling instead of plastic trash

Wiley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Plastics are inescapable in our daily lives. The vast amounts of plastic garbage heaped in landfills and in the environment, however, are as problematic as the plastics are useful. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a German research team has now introduced a new method for recycling polystyrene waste. Their efficient electrochemical process uses an inexpensive iron catalyst, produces hydrogen as a byproduct, and can be powered by solar panels.

Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Funder: Werner Siemens-Stiftung, HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council

Fermium studied at GSI/FAIR — Researchers investigate nuclear properties of element 100 with laser light

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Where does the periodic table of chemical elements end and which processes lead to the existence of heavy elements? An international research team reports on experiments performed at the GSI/FAIR accelerator facility and at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz to come closer to an answer. They gained insight into the structure of atomic nuclei of fermium (element 100) with different numbers of neutrons. Using forefront laser spectroscopy techniques, they traced the evolution of the nuclear charge radius and found a steady increase as neutrons were added to the nuclei. This indicates that localized nuclear shell effects have a reduced influence on the nuclear charge radius in these heavy nuclei. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature.

Journal: Nature

Einstein’s equations collide with the mysteries of the Universe

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Why is the expansion of our Universe accelerating? Twenty-five years after its discovery, this phenomenon remains one of the greatest scientific mysteries. Solving it involves testing the fundamental laws of physics, including Albert Einstein’s general relativity. A team from the universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier compared Einstein’s predictions with data from the Dark Energy Survey. Scientists discovered a slight discrepancy that varies with different periods in cosmic history. These results, published in Nature Communications, challenge the validity of Einstein’s theories for explaining phenomena beyond our solar system on a universal scale.

Journal: Nature Communications