There are high hopes for the next generation of high energy-density lithium metal batteries, but before they can be used in our vehicles, there are crucial problems to solve. An international research team led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has now developed concrete guidelines for how the batteries should be charged and operated, maximising efficiency while minimising the risk of short circuits.

Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed efficient blue light-emitting diodes based on halide perovskites. The new LEDs may open the way to cheap and energy-efficient illumination.

In Applied Physics Reviews, from AIP Publishing, researchers in China from Zhejiang University, Ningbo University, and Dongguan University of Technology describe how they applied basic physical concepts of atomic scale to build high-performance anodes for sodium-ion batteries.

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed insulin nanoparticles that may one day become the basis for an oral medicine, and an alternative to insulin injections for diabetic patients. In a pre-clinical study, a NTU Singapore team fed insulin-containing nanoparticles to rats and found that insulin increased in their blood minutes later.

On January 1, 2021, the new Emmy Noether Group “Next Generation Antimicrobial Polymers” started its work at the University of Potsdam in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP. The goal is to develop antimicrobial polymers that can replace antibiotics.

With Dinnissen's multisize sample carousel, producers can now take samples of different sizes in an automated sampling process.

New research shows that patterns inspired by lobster shells can make 3D printed concrete stronger, to support more complex and creative architectural structures.

Health behaviors and emotional stressors can alter the body’s ability to develop an immune response to vaccines, including — potentially — the new Covid-19 vaccines. Simple interventions, including exercising and getting a good night’s sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination, may maximize the vaccine’s initial effectiveness, a new study finds.

The new Q4 Tasman Series 2 from Bruker is a versatile, high-performance spark-Optical Emission Spectrometer (OES) for the metals industry.

With the release of Zeiss Lattice Lightsheet 7, Zeiss places a turn-key lattice light sheet instrument at the disposal of the life science research community.

A new inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument has been designed by Thermo Fisher Scientific to enable scientists working in earth sciences, nuclear safeguards and biomedical research to conduct reliable, high-precision isotope ratio analysis across a wide range of applications.

The Eppendorf Thermomixer C with heating/cooling/mixing function received a further upgrade.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have created an extremely light weight aerogel which is capable of producing 17 litres of water a day with just one kilogramme of the new solution.

Scientists from the Faculty of Biology at TU Dresden and the Kurt Schwabe Institut für Mess- und Sensortechnik Meinsberg want to develop an innovative biological yeast cell-based sensor for the detection of pharmaceutical residues in soil and wastewater in their joint project “Implementation of a yeast pheromone-based signal amplifier system for environmental monitoring of pharmaceutical residues in water” (acronym: ISAr).

How do polymers behave with temperature changes that occur in their life cycle? This is a decisive factor for product development. For this reason, there are several standards for weathering tests. This article provides an overview of why some of these tests are unsuitable.

Scientists led by Dr Meina Neumann-Schaal of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures in Braunschweig have characterised the breakdown of phenol by Saccharolobus solfataricus. Using methods from the fields of metabolomics and transcriptomics, the researchers demonstrated that the microorganism is capable of using phenol as sole carbon source for its growth.

Compared with meat eaters, fish eaters have a lower risk of several adverse heart diseases, including stroke. These findings, which were part of new research looking at the diets and risk of developing or dying from heart diseases of more than 420,000 people in the UK, also concluded that vegetarianism was associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease.

Food testing laboratories need reliable data management systems in order to comply with the ever increasing regulatory requirements. LIMS platforms play an important role in terms of compliance with HACCP and ISO 17025 as well as in the implementation of comprehensive security mechanisms.

In addition to natural vanilla, artificial vanilla flavors are also used in the food industry. A HPLC method and reference materials help to distinguish them. Because: product counterfeiting is not exactly rare when it comes to the supposed natural (and expensive) vanilla flavor.

BASF has partnered with Tecnalia and together they have developed a technology for automated image recognition. This technology is expected to offer a more precise evaluation of the efficiency of new crop protection products.

Biotecon Diagnostics has launched the foodproof Aspergillus Detection Lyokit.

EKF Diagnostics has introduced a test to precisely measure levels of Covid-19 neutralizing antibodies in individuals.

On January 1, 2021, the new Emmy Noether Group “Next Generation Antimicrobial Polymers” started its work at the University of Potsdam in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP. The goal is to develop antimicrobial polymers that can replace antibiotics.

Health behaviors and emotional stressors can alter the body’s ability to develop an immune response to vaccines, including — potentially — the new Covid-19 vaccines. Simple interventions, including exercising and getting a good night’s sleep in the 24 hours before vaccination, may maximize the vaccine’s initial effectiveness, a new study finds.

A density determination can be carried out with a balance. A new poster by Mettler Toledo gives tips on how to set up the density measurement.

Today’s busy laboratories are under pressure to produce, and spilled materials are often an unwelcome show-stopper when weighing. Not anymore. With an new patented lattice weighing pan, laboratory workers keep working while maintaining the accuracy your process requires to enhance productivity and throughput.

Weighing is an important act in every laboratory — but it can become tedious and even uncomfortable. The design of the new, smaller XPR Analytical balance gives a deeper access to the weighing chamber.

Laboratory technicians often don't know which test weights and weight class they should choose to check the performance of their balances and scales. The free Mettler Toledo GWP Recommendation service specifies the correct test weights and weight class based on the degree of accuracy you need to satisfy your specific process tolerances.