Around half of US industrial energy use goes toward separating molecules in industrial processes. Developing materials that can withstand harsh industrial conditions can help increase efficiency.
Pepper spray uses a chemical called capsaicin. It’s the same compound that makes chillies hot, but in a more intense, weaponised form.
Could graphene - shown here as an illustration of its molecular structure - come to define the next phase of the information revolution?
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Since the 1960s, silicon ‘nanomaterials’ have driven the information revolution. But as their potential is exhausted, is it time for ‘atomaterials’ such as graphene to drive innovation still further?
Plastic can only be recycled a few times before it becomes useless. But even non-recyclable plastic can be used to help produce petrol and diesel. Could this process help overcome the recycling crisis?
Chemistry has been getting greener since the ‘80s.
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It was not until the 1980s that the environment became a priority for the chemical industry, and it was the industry’s bid to clean up that gave birth to ‘green chemistry’.
Bubbles can be worth a lot of money.
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The bubbles generated by Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson have been worth over $36 billion to the Australian economy. He has just received the 2015 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation.