Rice study shows coal-based product could replace sand in concrete
A new study by Rice researchers found that graphene derived from metallurgical coke, a coal-based product, through flash Joule heating could serve not only as a reinforcing additive in cement but also as a replacement for sand in concrete.
Rice chemists find new way to rid boron nitride nanotubes of impurities
Rice scientists in the lab of Angel Martí have uncovered a new way to make high-purity boron nitride nanotubes, hollow cylindrical structures that can withstand temperatures of up to 900 degrees Celsius while also being stronger than steel by weight.
For this emergent class of materials, ‘solutions are the problem’
Rice materials scientists developed a fast, low-cost, scalable method to make covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a class of crystalline polymers whose tunable molecular structure, large surface area and porosity could be useful in energy applications, semiconductor devices, sensors, filtration systems and drug delivery.
Chance twists ordered carbon nanotubes into ‘tornado films’
Rice scientists in the lab of Junichiro Kono have developed two new methods to create ordered carbon nanotube films with either a left- or right-handed chiral pattern.
Rice engineers tackle hard-to-map class of materials
Rice materials scientist Yimo Han and collaborators mapped the structural features of a 2D ferroelectric material made of tin and selenium atoms using a new technique that can be applied to other 2D van der Waals ferroelectrics, unlocking their potential for use in electronics and other applications.
Kavli Exploration Award backs Rice-led sustainable carbon materials research
An international team of scientists led by Rice’s Matteo Pasquali has won a $4.1 million grant to optimize carbon nanotube synthesis. The award is a joint effort by The Kavli Foundation, with a $1.9 million Exploration Award in Nanoscience for Sustainability, and Rice’s Carbon Hub, which contributed an additional $2.2 million.
Atomic dance gives rise to a magnet
Rice researchers turned a paramagnetic material into a magnet by manipulating electrons’ spin via atomic motion.
Rice expert available to comment on FDA decision on sickle cell disease therapy
Rice University’s Gang Bao is available to comment on today’s decision by the FDA on whether or not to approve a CRISPR-based therapy for sickle cell disease.
Breakthrough synthesis method improves solar cell stability
A process developed by Rice engineers and collaborators yields 2D halide perovskite crystal layers of ideal thickness and purity through dynamic control of the crystallization process ⎯ a key step toward ensuring device stability for optoelectronics and photovoltaics.
Rice’s Gustavo Scuseria wins Aneesur Rahman Prize
Pioneering computational chemist Gustavo Scuseria has won the 2024 Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics.
Decontamination method zaps pollutants from soil
A rapid, high-heat electrothermal soil remediation process developed by Rice scientists and collaborators at the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center flushes out both organic pollutants and heavy metals in seconds without damaging soil fertility.
Interdisciplinary Rice team tackles the future of semiconductors
An interdisciplinary team of Rice University scientists has won a $1.9 million National Science Foundation grant for research on materials that could serve as the basis for next-generation energy-efficient computing devices.
It's easier to get valuable metals from battery waste if you ‘flash’ it
A battery recycling process developed by Rice scientists can retrieve valuable metals from mixed cathode and anode waste with a yield exceeding 98% in less time than normal using low-concentration acid, reducing both the cost and negative environmental impact.
Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane
Copper-based catalysts developed by Rice University materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Making hydrogen from waste plastic could pay for itself
Rice University researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using a low-emissions method that generates graphene as a by-product, which could help offset production costs.
