Chemistry

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Villigen have developed a chemical reactor that uses solar power to mix water and carbon dioxide to produce synthetic natural gas for heating residential buildings. The new system even pays off for certain single-family homes, according to a new study.

Aerosols in the atmosphere react to incident sunlight. This light is amplified in the interior of the aerosol droplets and particles, accelerating reactions. ETH researchers have now been able to demonstrate and quantify this effect and recommend factoring it into future climate models.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the Italian Institute of Technology IIT have developed a novel substance that disables a protein in the cell skeleton, leading to cell death. In this way, substances of this type can prevent, for example, the growth of tumours. To accomplish this, the researchers combined a structural biological method with the computational design of active agents.

Writing in Nature Chemistry, three EPFL scientists propose an open platform for managing the vast amounts of diverse data produced in chemical research. Based on principles of accessibility, collaboration and efficiency, the proposed platform could be spearheaded by EPFL.

A team of ETH researchers led by Athina Anastasaki have succeeded in breaking down plastic into its molecular building blocks and in recovering over 90 percent of them. A first step towards genuine plastic recycling.