Modern alchemy leaches gold from water
A small French start-up company is selling a technology with a hint of alchemy: turning water into gold.
View ArticleNovel NIST process is a low-cost route to ultrathin platinum films
(Phys.org)—A research group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a relatively simple, fast and effective method of depositing uniform, ultrathin layers of platinum...
View ArticlePlants that can detox waste lands will put poisons to good use
Common garden plants are to be used to clean polluted land, with the extracted poisons being used to produce car parts and aid medical research.
View ArticleX-ray laser breakthrough research shows chemical reaction in real time
The ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) have enabled unprecedented views of a catalyst in action, an important step in the effort to develop cleaner and more...
View ArticleUS to require lower-sulfur gasoline
The Obama administration is expected to propose new rules Friday that would slash the amount of sulfur in gasoline, one of the most significant steps the administration can take this term toward...
View ArticleSurface diffusion plays a key role in defining the shapes of catalytic...
Controlling the shapes of nanometer-sized catalytic and electrocatalytic particles made from noble metals such as platinum and palladium may be more complicated than previously thought.
View ArticleCeramic foam cleans up exhaust gases
The introduction next year of the Euro 6 exhaust-gas standard means that catalytic converters will become more expensive, above all for diesel vehicles. Empa is working on a catalytic substrate made of...
View ArticleExposure to air transforms gold alloys into catalytic nanostructures
(Phys.org) —Gold bars may signify great wealth, but the precious metal packs a much more practical punch when shrunk down to just billionths of a meter. Unfortunately, unlocking gold's potential often...
View Article'Self-cleaning' pollution-control technology could do more harm than good,...
Research by Indiana University environmental scientists shows that air-pollution-removal technology used in "self-cleaning" paints and building surfaces may actually cause more problems than they solve.
View ArticleSize matters in nanocrystals' ability to adsorb, release gases
More efficient catalytic converters on autos, improved batteries and more sensitive gas sensors are some of the potential benefits of a new system that can directly measure the manner in which...
View ArticleLow-temperature combustion enables cleaner, more efficient engines
As demand climbs for more fuel-efficient vehicles, knowledge compiled over several years about diesel engines and a new strategy known as "low-temperature combustion" (LTC) might soon lead auto...
View ArticleHow the newest diesel engines emit very little greenhouse gas nitrous oxide
(Phys.org) —The newest catalytic converters in diesel engines blast away a pollutant from combustion with the help of ammonia. Common in European cars, the engines exhaust harmless nitrogen and water....
View ArticleResearchers capture speedy chemical reaction in mid-stride
In synthetic chemistry, making the best possible use of the needed ingredients is key to optimizing high-quality production at the lowest possible cost.
View ArticleFirst-time measurements in Greenland snowpack show a drop in atmospheric co...
A first-ever study of air trapped in the deep snowpack of Greenland shows that atmospheric levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the 1950s were actually slightly higher than what we have today. This is a...
View ArticleNew catalytic converter could cut fuel consumption and car manufacturing costs
A new catalytic converter that could cut fuel consumption and manufacturing costs has been designed by a scientist from Imperial College London.
View ArticleResearchers discover catalytic converter breakthrough in automobiles
A discovery was born from great frustration. Eric Peterson, a graduate student in Nanoscience and Microsystems Engineering at UNM, who set out to learn a new measuring technique four years ago as part...
View ArticleControlling car pollution at the quantum level
Toyota Central R&D Labs. in Japan have reviewed research that might be leading the way towards a new generation of automotive catalytic converters.
View ArticleArchitect imagines BT Tower as pollutant-scrubbing haven
(Phys.org) —File under Big Idea. Use a city building to trap pollutants, clean the air, and convert car emissions into biofuel? An architect has such a concept. The idea is to attach a special carbon...
View ArticleScientists create a super antioxidant: Common catalyst cerium oxide opens...
Scientists at Rice University are enhancing the natural antioxidant properties of an element found in a car's catalytic converter to make it useful for medical applications.
View ArticleImproved low-temperature performance of catalytic converters
(Phys.org) —Toxic vehicle emissions, such as carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, are chemically converted to benign compounds, like carbon dioxide (CO2) and water, by catalytic converters....
View ArticleInsights into catalytic converters
Modern catalytic converters for the treatment of exhaust gases in vehicles with a combustion engine have largely contributed to reducing of pollutant emissions. By oxidation or reduction, i.e. the...
View ArticleNanocatalysts improve processes for the petrochemical industry
With the goal of advancing the oil, mining and energy industries, as well as counteracting the emission of greenhouse gases, nanotechnologist Hector Barron Escobar designs more efficient and profitable...
View ArticleDiesel exhaust gases without any nitric oxides – is that possible?
The scandal surrounding VW has thrust nitric oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel vehicles into the limelight. Owing to the different engine technologies, these have always been higher than in...
View ArticleLaboratory researching innovative methods of lowering vehicle emissions
Air pollution remains a major health hazard for our nation despite significant improvement in the U.S. air quality since the passage of the Clean Air Act and formation of the Environmental Protection...
View ArticleResearchers improve catalyst efficiency for clean industries
Researchers have developed a way to use less platinum in chemical reactions commonly used in the clean energy, green chemicals, and automotive industries, according to a paper in Science.
View ArticleScientists use nanotechnology to boost the performance of key industrial...
A tiny amount of squeezing or stretching can produce a big boost in catalytic performance, according to a new study led by scientists at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
View ArticleDynamic catalytic converters for clean air in the city
Reducing pollutant emission of vehicles and meeting stricter exhaust gas standards are major challenges when developing catalytic converters. A new concept might help to efficiently treat exhaust gases...
View ArticleResearchers study the surfaces of ceria nanoparticles
At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), scientists have studied ceria nanoparticles with the help of probe molecules and a complex ultrahigh vacuum-infrared measurement system and obtained new...
View ArticleMicrowaves against cold-start emissions
During cold start, a car engine emits far more particulate matter and other pollutants than during warm conditions. This is because a cold catalytic converter is much less efficient at low exhaust gas...
View ArticleUltra-efficient removal of carbon monoxide using gold nanoparticles on a...
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a way to mount gold nanoparticles on a molecular support known as a polyoxometalate (POM). They successfully applied this to realize nearly...
View Article
