Ru-Co/ZrO₂ single-atom alloy catalyst was developed for alcohol amination, which exhibited satisfactory yields to primary amines for a broad scope of substrates. The synergistic effect between Ru and Co was demonstrated by the significantly higher turnover rate and yield to primary amine than those on Co/ZrO₂ and Ru/ZrO₂. This study opens a new avenue to the design of low-cost and efficient catalysts for alcohol amination.

In a significant stride towards enhancing the efficiency of hydrogen production, researchers are exploring the role of lignin-derived carbon Co-based composites in overcoming photocorrosion in CdS photocatalysts. The study, titled "Overcoming Photocorrosion in CdS Photocatalysts: The Role of Lignin-Derived Carbon Co-Based Composites in Hydrogen Production," is led by Prof. Xueqing Qiu and Prof. Yanlin Qin from the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Biorefinery at Guangdong University of Technology in Guangzhou, China, in collaboration with the Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Chemistry and Fine Chemical Engineering Jieyang Center and the Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Ecological Security and Green Development. This research offers critical insights into improving the stability and performance of CdS photocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.

This study analyzes three decarbonization strategies for papers mills, including using electric power, mechanical presses and low-carbon fuels. Replacing natural gas with electric and biomass power could help paper mills achieve net-zero emissions, but would need improvements to electrical grids to enable those changes. The paper industry is the fourth-largest industrial energy consumer in the United States. 

Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute and Radboud University have developed a completely animal-free gel to grow organoids, miniature three dimensional versions of organs. By combining the bacterial protein invasin with a synthetic gel known as polyisocyanopeptide (PIC), they created an environment in which organoids can grow and expand long-term, just as they do in animal-derived gels such as Matrigel. The study, published in PNAS, marks the first synthetic and animal-free system that enables long-term growth of 3D organoids.

A new collaborative study from the Wyss Institute leveraged a “breathing” human lung alveolus chip model of influenza A infection developed in the group of Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., drug delivery platforms advanced by Natalie Artzi, Ph.D. and her group, as well as state-of-the-art CRISPR technology. The team designed CRISPR machinery targeting a strongly conserved sequence in IAV’s genome, packaging it up in tiny nanoparticles with affinity to lung epithelial cells, and delivering the loaded particles to lung epithelial cells lining a microfluidic channel in the Lung Chip that were infected with a pandemic IAV. They demonstrated that this system better mimics human IAV infection than other preclinical models and enables assessing the efficacy and safety of CRISPR RNA therapies in a more clinically relevant way than earlier approaches.