‘Defective’ carbon simplifies hydrogen peroxide production
Rice scientists introduce a new catalyst to reduce oxygen to widely used hydrogen peroxide.
Study shows why anesthetic stops cell’s walkers in their tracks
Researchers detail the mechanism that allows propofol, a common anesthetic, to halt the movement of kinesin proteins that deliver cargoes to the far reaches of cells.
A little soap simplifies making 2D nanoflakes
The right combination of surfactant, water and processing can maximize the quality of 2D hexagonal boron nitride for such products as antibacterial films.
Rice ‘flashes’ new 2D materials.
Rice scientists extend their technique to produce graphene in a flash to tailor the properties of 2D dichalcogenides, quickly turning them into metastable metallics for electronic and optical applications.
Fermi space telescope offers 'best look ever' at giant flare
Intense light from the April 2020 eruption of a neutron star in a nearby galaxy has given astronomers their first clear look at a type of gamma-ray burst known as a magnetar giant flare.
‘Soft’ nanoparticles give plasmons new potential
Bigger is not always better, but here’s something that starts small and gets better as it gets bigger.
Sheets of carbon nanotubes come in a rainbow of colors
Nanomaterials researchers in Finland, the United States and China have created a color atlas for 466 unique varieties of single-walled carbon nanotubes.
Vitamin boosts essential synthetic chemistry
Inspired by light-sensing bacteria that thrive near hot oceanic vents, synthetic chemists use vitamin B12 to catalyze valuable hydrocarbons known as olefins, or alkenes, useful precursor molecules for the manufacture of drugs and agrochemicals.
Hidden structure found in essential metabolic machinery
Rice University biochemists have discovered membrane-divided subcompartments within organelles called peroxisomes, essential pieces of metabolic machinery for all higher order life from yeast to humans. The research appears this week in Nature Communications.
Rice physicist shares grant to advance imaging
The lab of physicist Junichiro Kono will share in a $1 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to improve imaging of proteins, cells and tissues.
Chemists get peek at novel fluorescence
Rice chemists find a second level of fluorescence in single-walled carbon nanotubes. The phenomenon may be useful in solar energy and optoelectronic applications.
Rice scientist joins next Mars adventure
A Rice University geologist is one of 13 scientists recently selected to operate the Mars rover Perseverance and analyze samples for an eventual return to Earth.