Chemistry

Tour scores prestigious Centenary Prize

Rice University chemist James Tour has been named a winner of this year’s Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize.

Purifying water with a partly coated gold nanoparticle

Rice's Naomi Halas has collaborated with Yale University engineers on the creation of a light-activated nanoparticle for clearing water of pollutants. The research is part of an effort by NEWT, the Rice-based Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment.

Fluorocarbon bonds are no match for light-powered nanocatalyst

Rice University engineers have created a light-powered catalyst that can break the strong chemical bonds in fluorocarbons, a group of synthetic materials that includes persistent environmental pollutants.

‘Relaxed’ T cells critical to immune response

Rice University researchers model the role of relaxation time as T cells bind to invaders or imposters, and how their ability to differentiate between the two triggers the body’s immune system.

Excitons form superfluid in certain 2D combos

Mixing and matching computational models of 2D materials led scientists at Rice University to the realization that excitons can be manipulated in new and useful ways.

Rice lab turns fluorescent tags into cancer killers

Fluorophores with one oxygen atom replaced by a sulfur atom can be triggered with light to create reactive oxygen species within cancer cells, killing them.

Lab makes 4D printing more practical

Soft robots and biomedical implants that reconfigure themselves upon demand are closer to reality with a method developed at Rice to print shapeshifting materials.

New tool helps nanorods stand out

Rice scientists introduce an open-source method to simplify nanoparticle analysis using scanning electron microscope images.

Egg-based coating preserves fresh produce

Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers.

Exotic nanotubes move in less mysterious ways

Rice University researchers capture the first video of boron nitride nanotubes in motion to prove their potential for materials and medical applications.

2D sandwich sees molecules with clarity

A 2D platform of molybdenum, sulfur and selenium is adept at detecting biomolecules via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Its nonmetallic nature helps by curtailing background noise.

Rice faculty part of Baylor Superfund program

A $10 million federal grant establishes a center to study how toxic chemicals from Superfund sites impact preterm births.

Water-splitting module a source of perpetual energy

Rice University researchers have integrated high-efficiency solar cells and electrode catalysts into an efficient, low-cost device that splits water to produce hydrogen fuel.

Hidden symmetry found in chemical kinetic equations

Rice University researchers have discovered a hidden symmetry in the chemical kinetic equations scientists have long used to model and study many of the chemical processes essential for life.

Almost gone but never forgotten

Julianne Yost wins this year’s top teaching award, the George R. Brown Prize for Excellence in Teaching.