ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Micropollutants such as steroid hormones contaminate drinking water worldwide. Until now, easily scalable water treatment technologies that remove them efficiently and sustainably have been lacking. Scientists have developed a new chemical process for removing hormones. It takes advantage of the mechanisms of photocatalysis and transforms the pollutants into potentially safe oxidation products.

In order to understand catalysts, we have to understand how chemical reactions evolve on nanoparticles. Different facets of the particles can have different properties, leading to intriguing 'chemical waves'.

A new allotrope of carbon has been produced. Like graphene, it is only one atom thick, but unlike graphene it behaves like a metal even at small scales, ideal for nanosized wires. This result is exciting for engineers trying to develop new carbon-based electronics and the new method demonstrates a novel way to produce other theoretically-designed but not-yet-created forms of nanoscale carbon materials.

Solid-state batteries pack a lot of energy into a small space, but their electrodes are not good at keeping in touch with their electrolytes. Liquid electrolytes reach every nook and cranny of an electrode to spark energy, but liquids take up space without storing energy and fail over time. Researchers are now putting solid electrolytes in touch with electrodes made of strategically arranged materials - at the atomic level - and the results are helping drive better solid-state battery technologies.

Scientists studied the inner workings of a solar cell material using X-ray and neutron scattering. The study revealed that liquid-like motion in the material may be responsible for their high efficiency in producing electric currents from solar energy.

New research suggests that a common approach for reducing stress in printed metal is not the cure-all some may have hoped it was, but the results could also potentially help manufacturers sidestep the issue altogether.

Research has revealed the structure of 2D perovskite thin films resembles a sandwich containing layers beneficial for generating electricity more efficiently in photovoltaics.

Researchers report a rapid and sensitive testing method for COVID-19 biomarkers that amplifies the binding signal for a target biomarker and provides detection within one second.

A filter made from polymer nanothreads blew three kinds of commercial masks out of the water by capturing 99.9 percent of coronavirus aerosols in an experiment. The study compared the effectiveness of surgical and cotton masks, a neck gaiter, and electrospun nanofiber membranes. The cotton mask and neck gaiter only removed about 45 percent to 73 percent of the aerosols. The surgical mask did much better, removing 98 percent of coronavirus aerosols. But the nanofiber filter removed almost all.

A new coronavirus test can get accurate results from a saliva sample in less than 30 minutes, researchers report. Many of the components of the hand-held device used in this technology can be 3D-printed, and the test can detect as little as one viral particle per 1-microliter drop of fluid.

Vaccines are turning the tide in the pandemic, but the risk of infection is still present. Instant at-home tests would help us return to normal, but current options aren't very accurate. A new discovery could help get reliable tests on the market.