Electrifying biology in a bubble

Small, naturally occurring droplets could have accelerated the development of early life.
Image Credit: Scientific Frontline

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: Naturally forming coacervate droplets create a unique internal micro-environment that energetically favors spontaneous reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions, effectively functioning as "proto-enzymes" for early life.
• Methodology: Researchers synthesized coacervates using polyuridylic acid (RNA) and poly-L-lysine (peptides) and coated metal electrodes with a thin film of these droplets. They used electrochemistry to measure voltage as a direct proxy for Gibbs energy and employed Raman spectroscopy to track molecular vibrational modes and the behavior of water molecules surrounding iron ions.
• Key Data: Electrochemical analysis confirmed that the droplet interior significantly alters the thermodynamics of the \([Fe(CN)_{6}]^{3-}\)) / \([Fe(CN)_{6}]^{4-}\) redox pair compared to bulk water, making electron donation more probable. Temperature-dependent measurements allowed the team to isolate and quantify the specific entropic and enthalpic contributions driving this favorable energy shift.
• Significance: This study provides the first molecular-level explanation for how prebiotic droplets could drive chemical evolution, demonstrating that they actively alter reaction thermodynamics rather than merely concentrating reactants as previously thought.
• Future Application: These findings establish a framework for engineering synthetic cells and bioreactors, with immediate research directed toward controlling reaction kinetics (speed) and catalyzing complex biochemical pathways within artificial droplet systems.
• Branch of Science: Biochemistry, Electrochemistry, and Prebiotic Chemistry
• Additional Detail: The investigation uniquely bridges electrochemistry and biology by treating the coacervate-electrode interface as a "Gibbs energy meter," offering a new tool for probing the thermodynamic potential of prebiotic environments.

Honeycomb lattice sweetens quantum materials development

In a honeycomb lattice of potassium cobalt arsenate, cobalt spins (red and blue arrows) couple and align. Potassium, arsenic and oxygen are removed to highlight the magnetic cobalt atoms.
Image Credit: Adam Malin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: Scientists synthesized potassium cobalt arsenate, a new magnetic honeycomb lattice material where structural distortions cause cobalt spins to strongly couple and align, serving as a stepping stone toward quantum spin liquids.
• Methodology: The team crystallized the compound from a solution of potassium, arsenic, oxygen, and cobalt at low temperatures, subsequently characterizing it via neutron scattering, electron microscopy, heat capacity measurements, and computational modeling.
• Key Data: Theoretical calculations indicated that the material's "Kitaev" interaction is currently weaker than other magnetic forces, causing the spins to freeze into an ordered state rather than forming the desired fluid quantum state.
• Significance: This study establishes a critical experimental platform for generating Majorana fermions, exotic collective excitations theorized to be essential building blocks for stable, error-resistant quantum computing.
• Future Application: Researchers plan to tune the material's magnetic interactions by altering its chemical composition or applying high pressure, aiming to develop robust components for next-generation quantum sensors and computing architectures.
• Branch of Science: Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Science, and Inorganic Chemistry.
• Additional Detail: The research supports the global search for "Kitaev materials"—substances with electrically insulating interiors but highly conductive edges—that can resist the loss of quantum properties during environmental interaction.

Purdue mRNA therapy delivery system proves to be shelf-stable, storable

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published research about a Purdue University virus-mimicking platform technology that targets bladder cancer cells with mRNA therapies. The LENN platform scientists include, from left, Christina Ferreira, Saloni Darji, Bennett Elzey, Joydeep Rakshit, Feng Qu and David Thompson.
Photo Credit: Purdue University /Ali Harmeson

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: The LENN (Layer-by-layer Elastin-like Polypeptide Nucleic Acid Nanoparticle) platform successfully delivers mRNA therapies to bladder cancer cells while retaining full biological activity after being freeze-dried into a shelf-stable powder.
• Methodology: Researchers engineered a virus-mimicking dual-layer nanoparticle to condense and protect nucleic acids, then subjected the formulation to lyophilization (freeze-drying) and storage at -20°C to validate its stability and rehydration properties.
• Key Data: The lyophilized samples maintained complete structural integrity and functionality after three days of storage, successfully targeting upregulated receptors on tumor cells without triggering an immune response.
• Significance: This technology overcomes the severe cold-chain limitations of current lipid nanoparticle systems—which often require storage below -45°C—by providing a biomanufacturable, storable powder form that facilitates easier global distribution.
• Future Application: The team is upscaling the system for preclinical evaluation and initiating efficacy and safety studies in mouse models of bladder cancer.
• Branch of Science: Nanomedicine, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Oncology.
• Additional Detail: Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) profiling confirmed that the system utilizes natural entry pathways and avoids immune detection, potentially solving the "redosing" clearance issues associated with traditional viral vectors.

More sustainable epoxy thanks to phosphorus

Empa researcher Arvindh Sekar with the novel epoxy resin that is both flame-retardant and recyclable.
 Photo Credit: Empa

Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary

• Main Discovery: Empa researchers developed a novel epoxy resin based on a phosphonate ester vitrimer that combines flame-retardancy with full recyclability and repairability, effectively overcoming the permanent crosslinking limitations of traditional thermosets.
• Mechanism: The resin incorporates a functional phosphonate ester molecule that forms a dynamic polymer network; these reversible crosslinks allow the material to melt and be reshaped under specific heat conditions, unlike standard epoxies which burn or decompose.
• Key Properties: The modified material retains the high mechanical hardness and thermal stability of conventional epoxy resins while gaining "self-healing" capabilities, enabling the repair of surface scratches and cuts through the application of heat and pressure.
• Context: Unlike standard fiber-reinforced plastics that are typically incinerated or landfilled, this vitrimer allows for the complete separation and recovery of valuable reinforcement materials, such as carbon fibers, from the polymer matrix.
• Significance: This innovation enables a circular economy for crosslinked polymers, offering immediate applications in lightweight, fire-safe composites for aerospace and rail, as well as transparent protective coatings for wooden flooring.

Harnessing evolution: Evolved synthetic disordered proteins could address disease, antibiotic resistance

Yifan Dai and his team designed a method based on directed evolution to create synthetic intrinsically disordered proteins that can facilitate diverse phase behaviors in living cells. Intrinsically disordered proteins have different phase behaviors that take place at increasing or decreasing temperatures, as shown in the image above. The intrinsically disordered proteins on the left are cold responsive, and those on the right are hot responsive. The tree image in the center depicts the directed evolution process with the reversible intrinsically disordered proteins near the top. Feeding into the process from the bottom are soluble intrinsically disordered proteins.
Illustration Credit: Dai lab

The increased prevalence of antibiotic resistance could make common infections deadly again, which presents a threat to worldwide public health. Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis have developed the first directed evolution-based method capable of evolving synthetic condensates and soluble disordered proteins that could eventually reverse antibiotic resistance.

Yifan Dai, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and his team designed a method that is directed evolution-based to create synthetic intrinsically disordered proteins that can facilitate diverse phase behaviors in living cells. This allows them to build a toolbox of synthetic intrinsically disordered proteins with distinct phase behaviors and features that are responsive to temperatures in living cells, which helps them to create synthetic biomolecular condensates. In addition to reversing antibiotic resistance, the cells can regulate protein activity among cells. 

Local Magnetic Field Gradients Enable Critical Material Separations

A new high-throughput Mach–Zehnder interferometry imaging capability at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, developed for critical minerals and materials extraction research, enables direct spatiotemporal imaging of ion concentrations in magnetic fields and reveals sustained concentration waves and rare earth ion enrichment regions driven by magnetic field gradients.
Photo Credit: Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial for energy-related applications and are expected to play an increasingly important role in emerging technologies. However, these elements have very similar chemical properties and naturally coexist as complex mixtures in both traditional and unconventional feedstocks, making their separation challenging. Researchers in the Non-Equilibrium Transport Driven Separations (NETS) initiative used standard low-cost permanent magnets to induce a magnetic field gradient in solutions containing REEs. They found that these permanent magnets create local magnetic fields strong enough to lead to regions enriched in REE ions, with concentration increases of up to three to four times the concentration of the starting solution. Directly observing magnetic field–driven ion enrichment in real time, without intrusive probes that disturb the system, has long been a challenge. The development of a new high-throughput Mach–Zehnder interferometry imaging capability has now enabled visualization of these dynamics as they unfold.

New process for stable, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries

An innovative manufacturing process paves the way for the battery of the future: In their latest study PSI researchers demonstrate a cost-effective and efficient way to produce all-solid-state batteries with a long lifespan. The image shows a test cell used to fabricate and test the all-solid-state battery developed at PSI.
Photo Credit: © Paul Scherrer Institute PSI/Mahir Dzambegovic

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have achieved a breakthrough on the path to practical application of lithium metal all-solid-state batteries – the next generation of batteries that can store more energy, are safer to operate, and charge faster than conventional lithium-ion batteries. 

All-solid-state batteries are considered a promising solution for electromobility, mobile electronics, and stationary energy storage – in part because they do not require flammable liquid electrolytes and therefore are inherently safer than conventional lithium-ion batteries. 

Two key problems, however, stand in the way of market readiness: On the one hand, the formation of lithium dendrites at the anode remains a critical point. These are tiny, needle-like metal structures that can penetrate the solid electrolyte conducting lithium ions between the electrodes, propagate toward the cathode, and ultimately cause internal short circuits. On the other hand, an electrochemical instability – at the interface between the lithium metal anode and the solid electrolyte – can impair the battery’s long-term performance and reliability. 

Scientists discover key to solving an 80-year-old chemistry puzzle

Scientists have discovered a new way of making specific versions of asymmetrical chemicals.
Photo Credit: Michal Jarmoluk

New research from the University of Bath and the University of St Andrews, published in Nature Chemistry, has discovered the key to unlocking an 80-year-old chemical puzzle, which could have important ramifications for fine chemical processes like those involved in the manufacture of medicines. 

Chiral molecules are asymmetric or non-superimposable on their mirror image – each side is different, existing in “right hand” and “left hand” forms. Often only one of these “handed” forms has the desired chemical or biological activity, while the other may have unwanted side effects. 

Using a combination of lab experiments and quantum chemistry calculations, researchers have now discovered a new way to control the handedness of a notoriously difficult chemical process, known as the ‘[1,2]-Wittig rearrangement’ that will impact on how scientists design selective chemical reactions. 

How a persistent chemical enters our surface waters

Image Credit: Scientific Frontline / stock image

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are not called “forever chemicals” for nothing. These fluorine-containing organic molecules are difficult to break down and are likely to remain in the environment for decades or even centuries, where they can accumulate in humans and animals and may have harmful effects on health. This is a compelling reason to take precautionary measures. 

The PFAS class of substances comprises thousands of chemical compounds. Not all of them have been thoroughly studied. The release, spread, accumulation, and effects of numerous PFAS are the subject of ongoing research. Among other things, researchers are focusing on TFA, short for trifluoroacetic acid. The smallest molecule in the PFAS family is formed as a degradation product of various other substances, such as many fluorinated refrigerants and propellants. Once formed, TFA is hardly degraded in the environment. “TFA formed in the atmosphere quickly enters precipitation, and from there it travels into surface waters and then into groundwater,” says Empa researcher Stefan Reimann from the Air Pollutants / Environmental Technology laboratory. 

A New Kind of Copper from the Research Reactor

In front of the nuclear reactor at TU Wien
Photo Credit: © TU Wien

The copper isotope Cu-64 plays an important role in medicine: it is used in imaging processes and also shows potential for cancer therapy. However, it does not occur naturally and must be produced artificially — a complex and costly process. Until now, Cu-64 has been generated by bombarding nickel atoms with protons. When a nickel nucleus absorbs a proton, it is transformed into copper. At TU Wien, however, a different pathway has now been demonstrated: Cu-63 can be converted into Cu-64 by neutron irradiation in a research reactor. This works thanks to a special trick — so-called “recoil chemistry.” 

Two-step flash Joule heating method recovers lithium‑ion battery materials quickly and cleanly

(From left) Shichen Xu, James Tour, Alex Lathem, Karla Silva and Ralph Abdel Nour.
Photo Credit: Jared Jones/Rice University

A research team at Rice University led by James Tour has developed a two-step flash Joule heating-chlorination and oxidation (FJH-ClO) process that rapidly separates lithium and transition metals from spent lithium-ion batteries. The method provides an acid-free, energy-saving alternative to conventional recycling techniques, a breakthrough that aligns with the surging global demand for batteries used in electric vehicles and portable electronics.

Published in Advanced Materials, this research could transform the recovery of critical battery materials. Traditional recycling methods are often energy intensive, generate wastewater and frequently require harsh chemicals. In contrast, the FJH-ClO process achieves high yields and purity of lithium, cobalt and graphite while reducing energy consumption, chemical usage and costs.

“We designed the FJH-ClO process to challenge the notion that battery recycling must rely on acid leaching,” said Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering. “FJH-ClO is a fast, precise way to extract valuable materials without damaging them or harming the environment.”

Chemistry: In-Depth Description

Photo Credit: Artem Podrez

Chemistry is the scientific discipline dedicated to the study of matter—its composition, properties, structure, and the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions, as well as the energy that is released or absorbed during these processes. The primary goal of chemistry is to understand the behavior of matter at the atomic and molecular level and to use this understanding to discover, create, and manipulate new substances and processes.

New lightweight polymer film can prevent corrosion

MIT researchers tested the gas permeability of their new polymer films by suspending them over microwells to form bubbles. Some bubbles from 2021 experiments are still inflated. This optical micrograph shows how the films form very colorful spots when suspended over microwells.
Image Credit: Courtesy of the researchers
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

MIT researchers have developed a lightweight polymer film that is nearly impenetrable to gas molecules, raising the possibility that it could be used as a protective coating to prevent solar cells and other infrastructure from corrosion, and to slow the aging of packaged food and medicines.

The polymer, which can be applied as a film mere nanometers thick, completely repels nitrogen and other gases, as far as can be detected by laboratory equipment, the researchers found. That degree of impermeability has never been seen before in any polymer, and rivals the impermeability of molecularly-thin crystalline materials such as graphene.

“Our polymer is quite unusual. It’s obviously produced from a solution-phase polymerization reaction, but the product behaves like graphene, which is gas-impermeable because it’s a perfect crystal. However, when you examine this material, one would never confuse it with a perfect crystal,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT.

New recharge-to-recycle reactor turns battery waste into new lithium feedstock

A photo of the electrochemical cell set-up in the Rice lab
Photo Credit: Jorge Vidal/Rice University

As global electric vehicle adoption accelerates, end-of-life battery packs are quickly becoming a major waste stream. Lithium is costly to mine and refine, and most current recycling methods are energy- and chemical-intensive, often producing lithium carbonate that must be further processed into lithium hydroxide for reuse.

Instead of smelting or dissolving shredded battery materials (“black mass”) in strong acids, a team of engineers at Rice University has developed a cleaner approach by recharging the waste cathode materials to coax out lithium ions into water, where they combine with hydroxide to form high-purity lithium hydroxide.

“We asked a basic question: If charging a battery pulls lithium out of a cathode, why not use that same reaction to recycle?” said Sibani Lisa Biswal, chair of Rice’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the William M. McCardell Professor in Chemical Engineering. “By pairing that chemistry with a compact electrochemical reactor, we can separate lithium cleanly and produce the exact salt manufacturers want.”

New material designed at OSU represents breakthrough in medical imaging

MRI contrast agent graphic
Image Credit: Courtesy of Kyriakos Stylianou / Oregon State University

Scientists at Oregon State University have filed a patent on a design for a new magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent with the potential to outperform current agents while being less toxic to patients and more environmentally friendly.

The new material is based on a structure known as a metal-organic framework or MOF, whose development in the 1990s earned this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry as MOFs’ many possible uses become increasingly apparent.

MOFs are made up of positively charged metal ions surrounded by organic “linker” molecules. They have nanosized pores and can be designed with a variety of components that determine the MOF’s properties.

How plastics grip metals at the atomic scale

Hierarchical view of polymer–alumina direct bonding across multiple length scales.
Image Credit: Osaka Metropolitan University

What makes some plastics stick to metal without any glue? Osaka Metropolitan University scientists peered into the invisible adhesive zone that forms between certain plastics and metals — one atom at a time — to uncover how chemistry and molecular structure determine whether such bonds bend or break.

Their insights clarify metal–plastic bonding mechanisms and offer guidelines for designing durable, lightweight, and more sustainable hybrid materials for use in transportation.

Combining the strength of metal with the lightness and flexibility of plastic, polymer–metal hybrid structures are emerging as key elements for building lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. The technology relies on bonding metals with plastics directly, without adhesives. The success of these hybrids, however, hinges on how well the two materials stick together.

Scientists develop an efficient method of producing proteins from E. coli

Proteins are synthesized through two processes involving DNA: transcription, which converts DNA into mRNA; and translation, where ribosomes read the mRNA and sequentially link amino acids to form proteins. This image illustrates the translation process accelerated to produce proteins more efficiently.
 Image Credit: Teruyo Ojima-Kato

Proteins sourced from microorganisms are attracting attention for their potential in biomanufacturing a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes, and diagnostic antibodies. These proteins can also be used for converting resources into biofuels and bioplastics, which could serve as viable alternatives to petroleum-based fuels and products. Therefore, efficiently producing microbial proteins could make a significant contribution to sustainable manufacturing.

Producing proteins from Escherichia coli (E. coli) has become popular due to its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. However, yields of protein production in E. coli may be reduced depending on the specific gene sequence of the target protein.

How unlocking ‘sticky’ chemistry may lead to better, cleaner fuels

Chemistry powered by renewable electricity offers a promising route to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals.
Photo Credit: Chokniti Khongchum

In a new study, chemists have developed a novel framework for determining how effectively carbon monoxide sticks to the surface of a catalyst during conversion from carbon dioxide. 

This stickiness, known as carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption energy, is a property that can often decide the final product of a chemical reaction. Using a widely accessible advanced electroanalytical technique, researchers found that the strength of this energy actually relies on a mix of reaction factors, including the type of catalyst material, applied voltage, and the surface’s structure.

This is a major step for the field, as gaining a better understanding of how CO adsorption works in real-time can help scientists search for innovative ways to recycle its counterpart, carbon dioxide, into useful fuel products, like methanol and ethanol. By designing better catalysts, these new insights could be used to accelerate the development of cleaner technologies that support a more sustainable future, said Zhihao Cui, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral student in chemistry at The Ohio State University.

New observation method improves outlook for lithium metal battery

Stacey Bent (left), professor of chemical engineering and of energy science and engineering, Sanzeeda Baig Shuchi (right), chemical engineering PhD student, and Yi Cui (not pictured), professor of materials science and engineering and of energy science and engineering, led the research team that discovered a way to more accurately analyze key chemistries for rechargeable batteries and possibly many other chemistry applications.
Photo Credit: Bill Rivard

Stanford researchers developed a flash-freezing observation method that reveals battery chemistry without altering it, providing new insights to enhance lithium metal batteries.

In science and everyday life, the act of observing or measuring something sometimes changes the thing being observed or measured. You may have experienced this “observer effect” when you measured the pressure of a tire and some air escaped, changing the tire pressure. In investigations of materials involved in critical chemical reactions, scientists can hit the materials with an X-ray beam to reveal details about composition and activity, but that measurement can cause chemical reactions that change the materials. Such changes may have significantly hampered scientists learning how to improve – among many other things – rechargeable batteries.

To address this, Stanford University researchers have developed a new twist to an X-ray technique. They applied their new approach by observing key battery chemistries, and it left the observed battery materials unchanged and did not introduce additional chemical reactions. In doing so, they have advanced knowledge for developing rechargeable lithium metal batteries. This type of battery packs a lot of energy and can be recharged very quickly, but it short-circuits and fails after recharging a handful of times. The new study, published today in Nature, also could advance the understanding of other types of batteries and many materials unrelated to batteries.

Scientists discover clean and green way to recycle Teflon®

The Newcastle research team (L-R): Dr Matthew Hopkinson, Dr Roly Armstrong and Matthew Lowe.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Newcastle University

New research demonstrates a simple, eco-friendly method to break down Teflon® – one of the world’s most durable plastics – into useful chemical building blocks.

Scientists from Newcastle University and the University of Birmingham have developed a clean and energy-efficient way to recycle Teflon® (PTFE), a material best known for its use in non-stick coatings and other applications that demand high chemical and thermal stability.

The researchers discovered that waste Teflon® can be broken down and repurposed using only sodium metal and mechanical energy – movement by shaking - at room temperature and without toxic solvents.

Publishing their findings today (22 October) in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), researchers reveal a low-energy, waste-free alternative to conventional fluorine recycling.