Category archives: Chemistry

Origin of the mysterious blue fluorescence of polymer carbon dots

Origin of the mysterious blue fluorescence of polymer carbon dots

ChemistryCondensed matterMaterialsNanotechnologyQuantum physics

By DIPC

A quantum dot is a nanometric crystalline structure of semiconductor materials. In a quatum dot electrons are confined in a region of space, thus creating a well defined structure of energy levels that depends very much on the size and shape of the quantum dot. This structure resembles that of atoms, that is why sometimes […]

Avoiding geological timescales to access low energies in bulk glasses

Avoiding geological timescales to access low energies in bulk glasses

ChemistryCondensed matterMaterialsPhysics

By DIPC

Common glass, used in windows or bottles, for example, is made by heating a mixture of calcium oxide (lime), sodium carbonate (soda), and silicon (IV) oxide (sand), resulting in a calcium silicate. This silicate is not a crystal but a solid in which atoms are positioned at random and have no long-range ordered pattern. These […]

A generalized approach for NMR studies of lipid–protein interactions

A generalized approach for NMR studies of lipid–protein interactions

BiochemistryChemistryMolecular biology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Francisco J. Blanco is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at CIC bioGUNE Molecular interactions in cell membranes, particularly lipid-protein interactions in their hydrophobic core, are difficult to analyse and remain poorly characterised despite high relevance in physiological and pathological processes. Structural rearrangements in membranes and embedded proteins, and the way molecular interactions contribute to their […]

High-performance supramolecular polymer from a simple molecule

High-performance supramolecular polymer from a simple molecule

Chemistry

By Pablo Ortiz

Turning simple, individual molecules into complex, interconnected materials is the core of polymer chemistry. There is currently an increasing demand for materials with sophisticated properties such as self-healing and reusable adhesivity. However, achieving polymers with such functionalities generally demands higher structural complexity, synthetic difficulty, and cost. Now, a team of chemists has designed a supramolecular […]

Geometric control of noble-metal nanoparticles

Geometric control of noble-metal nanoparticles

ChemistryCondensed matterMaterialsNanotechnology

By Invited Researcher

Author: Roberto D’Agosta is an Ikerbasque Research Professor at ETSF and the Department of Materials Physics in the Faculty of Chemistry at the UPV/EHU in San Sebastian. Francesca Baletto, senior lecturer at King’s College London, read and commented the manuscript. Every single moment, nature exploits catalysis to make or improve specific chemical reactions. Catalysts facilitate […]