Chemistry World Blog

6 November 2011: Have something to say about an article you’ve read on Chemistry World this week? Leave your comments below…

Functionalised fibre catches flu before you do
Carbohydrate coated chitosan could be used in face masks and filters to trap the flu virus

Intelligent packaging to detect spoiled food
Smart oxygen sensor to let consumers know if food is safe to eat or ready for the bin

Invisible ink for the 21st century
Water reveals invisible photonic ink on photonic paper as an anti-counterfeit measure

A soluble solution to the Haber process?
Chemists are a step closer to a soluble iron catalyst for the Haber-Bosch process which would improve efficiency

All eyes turn towards asteroid for fly-by
Scientists take full advantage of asteroid flying uncommonly close to the Earth to gather information on its structure

Shrinky Dink origami powered by heat
A children’s toy undergoes heating to generate 3D shapes from 2D patterns

Heart-on-a-chip
Replicating heart tissue on a chip could lead to a powerful new platform for drug tests

Micro fuel cells for microchips
A power device integrated into a chip eliminates the need for bulky batteries and pumps

World’s smallest remote control car debuts
A single molecule nanocar powered by electrical impulses has been put together by Dutch scientists

Zap and the aromaticity is gone
Laser pulses can be used to ‘switch off’ aromaticity in benzene molecules

Radical approach to self-healing materials
Japanese researchers have created a gel that harnesses free radicals to heal without any outside help

EPSRC sticks to its funding strategy guns
Frustration persists in the UK chemistry community over council decisions on the funding future for the field

Russia books place at science top table
New strategy will see the country boost its spending on science to 2.5 per cent of GDP

Spotting artery damage before a heart attack
New technique can view blood vessels’ structure and molecular signs of ill health at the same time

Predicting the perfect MOF
Computer program takes the guesswork out of making MOFs and produces world’s best methane-holding structure