Development of highly active and reusable solid catalysts based on precious metals, such as palladium (Pd), is crucial not only for organic syntheses but also for chemical and pharmaceutical processes. These rare and expensive catalytic materials are widely used in industry, so it is of great importance to find ways to minimize their consumption. Researchers… »

Earlier this year, we reported about a finding which revealed that physical structure of Psaltoda claripennis cicada wings can shred certain types of rod-shaped bacteria. After analyzing the surface, researchers at the Swinburne University of Technology used biomimicry to create a surface with similar properties. This nanosurface could lead to development of a new generation… »

Although we already wrote about many materials that could serve as liquid repellant surfaces, the one developed by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and the Technical University Darmstadt stands out by being superamphiphobic. They used candle soot to produce a fluorinated silicon coated silica nanostructure which is capable to… »

Inspired by moths, the research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, Freiburg, developed a new nanocoating that ensures a perfectly non-reflecting view on displays and through eyeglasses. The necessary surface structure is applied to the polymeric parts during manufacture, obviating the need for a separate process step. The hybrid coating also… »