Kate Bandoo, Publishing Assistant

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It’s in the blood

15 Aug 2016

Scientists have designed a tiny fuel cell that generates electricity from the human body’s blood flow, and for the first time, they have tested the device in a person.

The blood-powered fuel cell connected to a low voltage display

Phones, tablets and other portable electronics are common, but development of equally portable power sources is lagging behind. This is a particular concern for biomedical devices such as pacemakers. Since the 1960s, researchers have made biocompatible fuel cells that generate power inside the body. However, none of these power sources has been successfully demonstrated in a human subject.

To read the full article visit Chemistry World.

Ex vivo electric power generation in human blood using an enzymatic fuel cell in a vein replica
Dmitry Pankratov, Lars Ohlsson, Petri Gudmundsson, Sanela Halak, Lennart Ljunggren, Zoltan Blum and Sergey Shleev
RSC Adv., 2016,6, 70215-70220
DOI: 10.1039/C6RA17122B, Communication

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Machine-learning accelerates catalytic trend spotting

10 Jun 2016

Researchers in Japan have used a machine-learning method to cut the time it takes to predict the catalytic potential of different metals.

Binding between a metal surface and an adsorbate mainly depends on the electronic structure of the metal. More energy at centre of the metal’s d-band creates a stronger bond between its surface and the adsorbate. Based on this theory, scientists have long regarded a value called the d-band centre as a key indicator of a metal’s catalytic activity.

Machine learning helps researchers tackle challenging tasks, such as designing pollution filter catalysts at industrial scale © iStock

Researchers normally compute this value independently for each metal using first-principles calculations. Now, as part of a wider interest in machine-learning applications, Ichigaku Takigawa and his group at Hokkaido University have developed a new method for predicting the d-band centre value. They use readily available data, such as density and electronegativity from other metals or bimetals, to predict the d-band centre for 11 metals and their bimetallic alloys. The results compare favourably with values obtained through density functional theory.

To read the full article please visit Chemistry World.

Machine-learning prediction of the d-band center for metals and bimetals
Ichigaku Takigawa, Ken-ichi Shimizu, Koji Tsuda and Satoru Takakusagi
RSC Adv., 2016,6, 52587-52595
DOI: 10.1039/C6RA04345C, Paper

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Alginate bolsters 3D-printed hydrogel fix for damaged knees

21 Oct 2015

Printing replacement body parts may sound like something out of a sci-fi novel, but since 3D printing was introduced in the 1980s, scientists have been aspiring to make this a reality. Now, a team from Texas in the US has developed a super tough biomaterial that could be used to print load-bearing body parts such as knee cartilage.

The Texas team 3D printed a meniscus out of an alginate-containing hydrogel

A severe shortage of donors and biocompatibility issues are just two of the hurdles hindering successful transplants. Printing replacement tissues that function as well as, or better than the original tissue could be a way to side-step these obstacles.

To read the full article visit Chemistry World.

3D printing of an extremely tough hydrogel
Junhua Wei, Jilong Wang, Siheng Su, Shiren Wang, Jingjing Qiu, Zhenhuan Zhang, Gordon Christopher, Fuda Ning and Weilong Cong �
RSC Adv., 2015,5, 81324-81329
DOI: 10.1039/C5RA16362E, Paper

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Stencilling self-propulsion engines

16 Oct 2015

Researchers in the US have designed and made millimetre-sized motors in the shape of fish that could be produced on an enormous scale and used to purify water.

Catalytic fish in action

Nano- and micro-sized machines that convert chemical reactions into motion have been on the drawing board for many years. However, they are complicated and expensive to make. Now, researchers led by Joseph Wang at the University of California San Diego have developed a simple way to print 2D millimetre-sized motors. The motors are shaped like fish, swim autonomously while performing specific functions and avoid the costs and complications of more traditional fabrication processes, such as electrodeposition, sputtering and lithography.

To read the full article please visit Chemistry World.

Self-propelled screen-printable catalytic swimmers
Rajan Kumar, Melek Kiristi, Fernando Soto, Jinxing Li, Virendra V. Singh and Joseph Wang �
RSC Adv., 2015,5, 78986-78993
DOI: 10.1039/C5RA16615B, Paper

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Top 10 most-downloaded articles: Q3 July–September 2016

It’s in the blood

Top 10 most-downloaded articles: Q2 April–June 2016

Machine-learning accelerates catalytic trend spotting

Top 10 most-downloaded articles: Q1 Jan–Mar 2016

Top 10 most-downloaded articles: Q4 Oct–Dec 2015

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Alginate bolsters 3D-printed hydrogel fix for damaged knees

Stencilling self-propulsion engines

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