Materials Science and NanoEngineering

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.

Lab Notes for Sept. 11, 2023

SCI Summer Research Colloquium awards; Applied physics students study in France

Rice welcomes delegation from India

In order to deepen and broaden the partnership between Rice University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK), Rice Global recently welcomed a delegation from the institute to the university for a day-long meeting.

Rice establishes 3-year partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Rice University and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur have taken an important next step in their strategic research and education partnership with the announcement of the first recipients of the Rice-IITK Strategic Collaboration Award program. 

Gold buckyballs, oft-used nanoparticle ‘seeds’ are one and the same

Rice chemists have discovered that tiny gold “seed” particles, a key ingredient in one of the most common nanoparticle recipes, are one and the same as gold buckyballs, 32-atom spheres that are cousins of the Nobel Prize-winning carbon buckyballs discovered at Rice in 1985.

Rice lab’s boron nitride composite could be useful for advanced technology applications

Rice University scientists have found that a boron nitride nanocomposite interacts with light and heat in unexpected ways that could be useful for advanced technology applications.

Discovery may lead to terahertz technology for quantum sensing

Rice University researchers leverage the quantum properties of strontium titanate to make a broad terahertz frequency range useful for quantum control and sensing applications.

Michael Wong named fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Rice University’s Michael Wong was named a fellow to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the oldest chemical society in the world, whose mission is to “advance excellence in the chemical sciences.”

NIH grant backs Rice lab’s sickle cell disease research

Rice University bioengineer Gang Bao and his team have won a grant from the National Institutes of Health to address critical questions surrounding the safety and efficacy of using gene editing to treat sickle cell disease.

Light-activated molecular machines get cells ‘talking’

Rice University scientists have used light-activated molecular machines to induce cell-to-cell calcium signaling, revealing a powerful new strategy for drug design. This technology could lead to improved treatments for people with heart problems, digestive issues and more.