blog posts

• Scientists create tiny, water-based reactors for green chemistry

  Feb 20, 2025 3:15 pm

  Source: Rice University, 2/10/25

  Researchers at Rice University have developed a new method for performing chemical reactions using water instead of toxic solvents. The scientists created microscopic reactors capable of driving light-powered chemical processes by designing metal complex surfactants (MeCSs) that self-assemble into nanoscale spheres called micelles. This innovation could drastically reduce pollution in industries including pharmaceuticals and materials science, where harmful organic solvents are often necessary. 

• New water purification technology helps turn seawater into drinking water without tons of chemicals

  Feb 7, 2025 9:00 am

  Source: University of Michigan, 1/20/25
  
  Water desalination plants could replace expensive chemicals with new carbon cloth electrodes that remove boron from seawater, an important step of turning seawater into safe drinking water. A study describing the new technology has been published in Nature Water by engineers at the University of Michigan and Rice University.