A Rice-led team has unveiled how tiny molecular structures on industrial catalysts behave during the manufacture of vinyl acetate monomer, a core ingredient in adhesives, paints, coatings, packaging, textiles and many other products people use every day.
Rice researchers uncover the hidden physics of knot formation in fluids
A team of researchers at Rice, Georgetown University and the University of Trento in Italy has uncovered a surprising physical mechanism that explains how a single filament can form a knot while sinking through a fluid under strong gravitational forces.
Sharper MRI scans may be on horizon thanks to new physics-based model
Researchers at Rice and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have unveiled a physics-based model of magnetic resonance relaxation that bridges molecular-scale dynamics with macroscopic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals, promising new insight into how contrast agents interact with water molecules.
New recharge-to-recycle reactor turns battery waste into new lithium feedstock
A team of engineers at Rice has developed a cleaner approach to lithium recycling by recharging the waste cathode materials to coax out lithium ions into water.
Rice is partnering with researchers at the University of Washington, Columbia University and Louisiana State University on a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation to revolutionize how materials and microrobots can be designed, controlled and applied in real-world environments.
A team of researchers at Rice has developed a new catalyst that dramatically reduces the amount of iridium needed in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers, a key technology for generating green hydrogen from water.
Rice leads breakthrough in eco-friendly removal of toxic ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Rice researchers, in collaboration with international partners, have developed the first eco-friendly technology to rapidly capture and destroy toxic “forever chemicals” in water.
Scientists uncover room-temperature route to improved light-harvesting and emission devices
A team of researchers from Rice and collaborators have found a way to make two different phonons in thin films of lead halide perovskite interact with light so strongly that they merge into entirely new hybrid states of matter.
New theoretical model sheds light on ovarian aging, offering path toward advances in women’s health
Researchers have developed a mathematical model that enhances our understanding of ovarian aging and the timing of menopause.
Rice’s Martí, Sarlah, Wang honored with national American Chemical Society awards
Rice’s Martí, Sarlah, Wang honored with national American Chemical Society awards.
In an elegant fusion of art and science, researchers at Rice have achieved a major milestone in nanomaterials engineering by uncovering how boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) — touted for their strength, thermal stability and insulating properties — can be coaxed into forming ordered liquid crystalline phases in water.
Turning carbon dioxide into fuel just got easier, thanks to acid bubbles
A team of researchers at Rice has discovered a surprisingly simple method for vastly improving the stability of electrochemical devices that convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals, and it involves nothing more than sending the CO 2 through an acid bubbler.
Rethinking how robots move: Light and AI drive precise motion in soft robotic arm developed at Rice
Researchers at Rice have developed a soft robotic arm capable of performing complex tasks such as navigating around an obstacle or hitting a ball, guided and powered remotely by laser beams without any onboard electronics or wiring.
Forging a path to a sustainable carbon economy: Inside the vision of Rice’s Carbon Hub
As the world races to address the climate crisis, a coalition headquartered at Rice is taking a radically collaborative approach to one of the toughest challenges: how to decarbonize industry while at the same time boosting manufacturing, improving infrastructure and securing the supply chains for the energy and materials we rely on every day.
Recently, a team of scientists and engineers at Rice discovered a phenomenon on a microscopic scale, where tiny magnetic particles driven by rotating fields spontaneously move along the edges of clusters driven by invisible “edge currents” that follow the rules of an unexpected branch of physics.
