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IMAGE: An illustration of potassium atoms undergoing changes in fundamental characteristics such as radius, energy and electronegativity as they are compressed by surrounding neon atoms view more
Credit: Neuroncollective, Daniel Spacek, Pavel Travnicek
A study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has yielded new answers to fundamental questions about the relationship between the size of an atom and its other properties, such as electronegativity and energy. The results pave the way for advances in future material development. For the first time, it is now possible under certain conditions to devise exact equations for such relationships. Knowledge of the size of atoms and their properties is vital for explaining chemical reactivity, structure and the properties of molecules and materials of all kinds. This is fundamental research that is necessary for us to make important advances, explains Martin Rahm, the main author of the study and research le
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IMAGE: The environmental test chamber where researchers conducted air purifier experiments. (a) is the exterior with instruments set up outside, and (b) is inside the chamber with mock-up furnishings and materials.. view more
Credit: Illinois Tech
The market for air purifiers is booming, but a new study has found that some air cleaning technologies marketed for COVID-19 may be ineffective and have unintended health consequences.
The study, authored by researchers at Illinois Tech, Portland State University, and Colorado State University, found that cleaning up one harmful air pollutant can create a suite of others.
Both chamber and field tests found that an ionizing device led to a decrease in some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including xylenes, but an increase in others, most prominently oxygenated VOCs (e.g., acetone, ethanol) and toluene, substances commonly found in paints, paint strippers, aerosol sprays and pesticides. According to the EPA, exposur
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IMAGE: The built environment, from roads to sidewalks to parking lots, affects the water cycle and climate. Scientists at ORNL have explored the use of statistical relationships for evaluating representations of. view more
Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Modeling - Urban climate impacts
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a statistical relationship between the growth of cities and the spread of paved surfaces like roads and sidewalks. These impervious surfaces impede the flow of water into the ground, affecting the water cycle and, by extension, the climate. We ve shown that there is a specific mathematical shape to the relationship between a city s population and the total paved area, ORNL s Christa Brelsford said. Using that, we examined climate model predictions and determined they correctly represent some important attributes we know about cities.
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IMAGE: Scanning electron microscopy images of newly fabricated highly ordered nanohole arrays in tungsten, iron, cobalt and niobium oxide layers. view more
Credit: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Tokyo, Japan - Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new method for making ordered arrays of nanoholes in metallic oxide thin films using a range of transition metals. The team used a template to pre-pattern metallic surfaces with an ordered array of dimples before applying electrochemistry to selectively grow an oxide layer with holes. The process makes a wider selection of ordered transition metal nanohole arrays available for new catalysis, filtration, and sensing applications.
Osaka University scientists used circular gate electrodes set around tiny nanopores to hold particles just outside the opening, or make them pass through very slowly. This work may lead to revolutionary advances in single-molecule detection and cost-effective DNA sequencing.