Recently, a joint research team developed a novel quantum-classical computing scheme for designing photochromic materials — light-sensitive compounds — providing a powerful tool to accelerate the discovery of new materials. This research was published Dec. 20, 2024 in Intelligent Computing, a Science Partner Journal, in an open access article titled “A Quantum-Classical Method Applied to Material Design: Photochromic Materials Optimization for Photopharmacology Applications.”

Brandon Henderson, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, has been awarded a Research Project Grant (R01), one of the most competitive grants issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study the impact of synthetic coolants in vaping products.  

A University of Missouri researcher has discovered a new method to remove so-called “forever chemicals” from our drinking water by heating the PFAS with granular activated carbon. The discovery represents a significant breakthrough in managing PFAS-containing solid wastes, biosolids and spent adsorbent media that are major concerns to farmers and communities.

In a step to advancing the lithium-ion battery technology, a research team led by Prof. Dongwook Han from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (South Korea) developed an innovative technique to enhance the high-voltage LNMO cathodes. By engineering a Li-vacant topotactic subsurface with a protective K₂CO₃ surface layer on cathode particles, they enhanced the stability, longevity and performance of Li-ion batteries. This breakthrough holds a transformative potential for electric vehicles, offering efficient energy solutions.

Can copper be turned into gold? For centuries, alchemists pursued this dream, unaware that such a transformation requires a nuclear reaction. In contrast, graphite—the material found in pencil tips—and diamond are both composed entirely of carbon atoms; the key difference lies in how these atoms are arranged. Converting graphite into diamond requires extreme temperatures and pressures to break and reform chemical bonds, making the process impractical.

A collaboration led by researchers at Osaka University has developed a versatile platform with an electrically controlled nanogate that can be used for applications in sensing, chemical synthesis, memristors, and neuromorphic computing. The nanogate, which consists of a pore in a membrane, is closed by the formation of a precipitate and opened by the dissolution of the precipitate, which are regulated by the applied voltage.