http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- David Cox, a scientist in the Quantum Detection group at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, is an expert in nanofabrication techniques. Recently, using the tools of his trade and a bit of humor, he has created his latest masterpiece: the world's smallest snowman, which measures just 0.01 mm across (about one-fifth the width of a human hair). http://www.physorg.com/news179153163.html Nanotechnology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:46:35 EST news179153163 In the quest to make hydrogen as a clean alternative fuel source, researchers have been stymied about how to create usable hydrogen that is clean and sustainable without relying on an intensive, high-energy process that outweighs the benefits of not using petroleum to power vehicles. http://www.physorg.com/news177242747.html Nanotechnology Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:06:27 EST news177242747 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the biggest hindrances to the development of fuel cell technology is its cost. In order to work properly, polymer electrolyte fuel cells require a catalyst. So far, though, the most efficient catalyst for use with these fuel cells is platinum. And, as you probably know, platinum is one of the most expensive materials out there. The high cost of platinum is stunting the further development of fuel cells for use on a broader basis. Help may be coming, however, in the form of niobium and titanium. http://www.physorg.com/news175269673.html Chemistry Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:02:21 EST news175269673 Fuel cells, devices that can produce electricity from hydrogen or other fuels without burning them, are considered a promising new way of powering everything from homes and cars to portable devices like cellphones and laptop computers. Their big advantage -- the prospect of eliminating emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants -- has been outweighed by their very high cost, and researchers have been trying to find ways to make the devices less expensive. http://www.physorg.com/news174822792.html Nanotechnology Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:54:10 EST news174822792 Catalysts convert useless or unwanted chemicals into useful or more desirable ones. Research in this week's Science reveals new, important details about a common catalyst: how rafts of chemically reactive platinum form in the catalyst. The new work yields insights into how to improve the industrial catalyst for oil refining, chemicals processing and environmental uses. http://www.physorg.com/news173021840.html Chemistry Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:30:01 EST news173021840 Nanoscopic tubes made of a lattice of carbon just a single atom deep hold promise for delivering medicines directly to a tumor, sensors so keen they detect the arrival or departure of a single electron, a replacement for costly platinum in fuel cells or as energy‐saving transistors and wires. http://www.physorg.com/news172672100.html Nanotechnology Sun, 20 Sep 2009 13:29:00 EST news172672100 (PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power and produces water instead of carbon emissions. While vehicles like this won't be on the market anytime soon, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are making incremental but important strides in the fuel cell technology that could make clean cars a reality. http://www.physorg.com/news172417030.html Chemistry Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:38:30 EST news172417030 (PhysOrg.com) -- Nanoparticles combining platinum and gold act as superefficient catalysts, but chemists have struggled to create them in an industrially useful form. Rice University chemists have answered the call this week with a polymer-coated version of gold-platinum nanorods, the first catalysts of their kind that can be used in the organic solvents favored by chemical and drug manufacturers. http://www.physorg.com/news170946874.html Nanotechnology Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:15:04 EST news170946874 (PhysOrg.com) -- The veil is being lifted from the once unseen world of molecular activity. Not so long ago only the final products were visible and scientists were forced to gauge the processes behind those products by ensemble averages of many molecules. The limitations of that approach have become clear with the advent of technologies that allow for the observation and manipulation of single molecules. A prime example is the recent first ever direct observations in real-time of the growth of single nanocrystals in solution, which revealed that much of what we thought we knew is wrong. http://www.physorg.com/news168874003.html Nanotechnology Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:27:13 EST news168874003 (PhysOrg.com) -- A research program aimed at using platinum as an exploration guide for nickel has for the first time been able to put a time scale on the planet`s large-scale convection processes. http://www.physorg.com/news168184418.html Space & Earth Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:50:01 EST news168184418 Nanyang Technological University (NTU)'s Associate Professor Zhong Guofu has made a significant contribution to the field of organic chemistry, in particular the study of using small organic molecules as catalysts, in the synthesis process called organocatalysis. Such synthesis process takes place for example, during the production of chiral drugs. http://www.physorg.com/news166266981.html Chemistry Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:18:29 EST news166266981 (PhysOrg.com) -- Material scientists at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a technique for a bimetallic fuel cell catalyst that is efficient, robust and two to five times more effective than commercial catalysts. The novel technique eventually will enable a cost effective fuel cell technology, which has been waiting in the wings for decades, and should give a boost for cleaner use of fuels worldwide. http://www.physorg.com/news161529265.html Nanotechnology Thu, 14 May 2009 14:14:53 EST news161529265 Dartmouth researchers have determined that the presence of the rare element osmium is on the rise globally. They trace this increase to the consumption of refined platinum, the primary ingredient in catalytic converters, the equipment commonly installed in cars to reduce smog. A volatile form of osmium is generated during platinum refinement and also during the normal operation of cars, and it gets dispersed globally through the atmosphere. http://www.physorg.com/news159544802.html Space & Earth Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:00:22 EST news159544802 (PhysOrg.com) -- The process to turn propane into industrially necessary propylene has been expensive and environmentally unfriendly. That was until scientists at U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory devised a greener way to take this important step in chemical catalysis. http://www.physorg.com/news156171726.html Chemistry Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:02:33 EST news156171726 (PhysOrg.com) -- The creation of long platinum nanowires at the University of Rochester could soon lead to the development of commercially viable fuel cells. http://www.physorg.com/news156003211.html Nanotechnology Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:14:29 EST news156003211 (PhysOrg.com) -- As fuel cells are becoming more popular due to their potential use in applications such as hydrogen-powered vehicles, auxiliary power systems, and electronic devices, the need for the precious metal platinum is also increasing. In fuel cells, platinum is often used as the catalyst for oxygen reduction by splitting oxygen molecules into oxygen ions. However, platinum is rare and expensive: in a fuel cell for a typical car, the platinum catalyst costs about $4,000. http://www.physorg.com/news153413712.html Nanotechnology Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:55:56 EST news153413712 The painstaking process of detecting toxic species of platinum and palladium mixed in with the form of platinum essential to certain pharmaceuticals could be reduced to one simple step, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in the Nov. 14 online edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). http://www.physorg.com/news145892668.html Chemistry Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:44:28 EST news145892668 (PhysOrg.com) -- In a step toward developing better fuel cells for electric cars and more, engineers at MIT and two other institutions have taken the first images of individual atoms on and near the surface of nanoparticles key to the eco-friendly energy storage devices. http://www.physorg.com/news142162081.html Nanotechnology Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:28:01 EST news142162081 Platinum-based anticancer agents have a long history as proven therapeutic agents, but their toxicity and short lifetime in the body and the ability of tumors to develop resistance to these drugs limit the ultimate utility of these agents. http://www.physorg.com/news138027803.html Nanotechnology Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:03:23 EST news138027803 Monash University scientists have revolutionised the design of fuel cells used in the latest generation of hybrid cars which could make the vehicles more reliable and cheaper to build. http://www.physorg.com/news136741749.html Technology Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:49:09 EST news136741749