A new window on the chemical mechanics of glass
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Prehistoric peoples used naturally occurring glass to make some of the first cutting tools; modern humans began making this hard material at least 5,000 years ago.
Read More >>Phosphorus a dark horse candidate to replace silicon
MATERIALS SCIENCE
As we place ever-greater demands on the processing ability of electronic components, researchers have been seeking a semiconducting material that would improve on silicon’s performance...
Read More >>Sunlight plays key role in airborne aerosol gases
ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
The behaviour of aerosols in the atmosphere remains largely unaccounted for in climate modelling — with good reason. This complex atmospheric component is exceedingly difficult to...
Read More >>Shaken not stirred yields a new structure of zeolite
MECHANOCHEMISTRY
Zeolites are among the most highly prized materials of the modern chemical economy and many manufacturers may have been making them without even knowing it. These microporous crystals are exceptionally versatile adsorbents that have found a wide range...
Read More >>Microbubbles release cancer-fighting nanoparticles
NANOTECHNOLOGY
If the human body had a building code, most cancerous tumours would qualify as fast and dirty construction that no inspector would approve. Their blood supply is delivered through leaky, poorly fitting vessels and the surrounding tissue does a terrible job...
Read More >>Fluorine boosts efficacy of conventional medications
BIOCHEMISTRY
Among the most powerful weapons in our antibiotic arsenal are aminoglycosides, which can prevent the biosynthesis of key proteins that infectious bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli need to survive. First isolated in the 1950s...
Read More >>Broaching the blood-brain barrier with MRI technology
TECHNIQUES
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment has become a cornerstone technology of medical diagnosis. But Sylvain Martel, a professor of computer engineering at Polytechnique Montréal, is taking MRI research a step further by utilizing it as an equally...
Read More >>Designer threads make for highly functional fashion
MATERIALS SCIENCE
The centuries-old Indian weaving technique known as zari wraps flattened metal wires around silk fibres to create a shimmering brocade. This traditional textile provides chemistry professor Christa Brosseau of Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia with an elegant ...
Read More >>Firefighters pair with GreenCentre Canada to push gel
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
When a group of experienced firefighters in eastern Ontario wanted to come up with a way of making their profession more environmentally friendly, they turned to Ontario’s network of organizations that help turn such ideas into marketable products.
Read More >>A pressing issue adds high-tech value to graphite
MATERIALS SCIENCE
A cross-country collaboration between companies and researchers in British Columbia and Ontario should enable the high-tech capabilities of graphite to withstand the brutal economics of building heat exchangers. An innovative method of rolling...
Read More >>Quirky boron aids understanding of thermodynamics
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Considering boron’s prominent place near the top of the periodic table, along with the fact we have known about its existence for more than 200 years, it is remarkable how much we continue to learn about this element...
Read More >>DNA has potential to detect new antibiotic compounds
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Although the famous double helix of DNA is widely recognized as the biochemical lynchpin of organic growth and development, it also turns out to be a handy tool for managing enzymatic activities...
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