Rice University lab encodes collagen - In a discovery with implications for drug design, tissue engineering and the treatment of disease, Rice University researchers have created a program to encode self-assembling collagen proteins.(10.1038/ncomms2084)
Toughened silicon sponges may make tenacious batteries - Researchers at Rice University and Lockheed Martin reported this month that they've found a way to make multiple high-performance anodes from a single silicon wafer. The process uses simple silicon to replace graphite as an element in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, laying the groundwork for longer-lasting, more powerful batteries for such applications as commercial electronics and electric vehicles. Reference: 'Freestanding macroporous silicon and pyrolyzed polyacrylonitrile as a composite anode for lithium ion batteries', Chem. Mater., (10.1021/cm301376t)
Palladium-gold nanoparticles clean TCE a billion times faster than iron filings - In the first side-by-side tests of a half-dozen palladium- and iron-based catalysts for cleaning up the carcinogen TCE, Rice University scientists have found that palladium destroys TCE far faster than iron -- up to a billion times faster in some cases. The results will appear in a new study in the August issue of the journal Applied Catalysis B: Environmental.
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