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IMAGE: a, sketch of a system with an array of main resonance modes a m connected via a series of connecting modes c m^((n)), with the decay rate κ m^((n)); b, sketch of a. view more
Credit: by Xinyao Huang, Cuicui Lu, Chao Liang, Honggeng Tao, and Yong-Chun Liu
Optical nonreciprocity, which prohibits the light field returning along the original path after passing through the optical system in one direction, is not only of vast interest to fundamental science, which brings us a deeper understanding of Lorentz reciprocity, time-reversal symmetry, and topological effects, but is also of great importance for realizing nonreciprocal optical and electromagnetics devices such as isolators, circulator and directional amplifiers, which are indispensable for applications ranging from optical communication to optical information processing.
Credit: WANG Jingyu
Recently, a research group led by Prof. WAN Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a novel targeted modification strategy to improve the separation selectivity of polyamide NF membranes.
The study was published in
Journal of Membrane Science on March 10.
The low selectivity of commercial nanofiltration (NF) membranes to monosaccharides and monovalent salts is mainly due to the nonuniform pore size distribution and strong electronegativity.
Targeted modification can regulate the pore size distribution and electronegativity of polyamide NF membranes, and thus improve the separation selectivity.
In the strategy, carboxyl groups (-COOH) on the surface are activated by N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)-N -ethyl carbodiimide (EDC) and N-Hydroxy succinimide (NHS), and subsequently grafted onto monomer or polymer containing amino groups (-NH
Researchers from Harvard University have developed a new tool to study undruggable proteins through the sugars they depend on. Almost 85 percent of proteins, including those associated with Alzheimer s, Parkinson s, inflammation, and certain cancers, are beyond the reach of current drugs. Now, with a new pencil/eraser tool, researchers can start to study how sugar molecules affect these proteins, insights that could lead to new treatments for the undruggable.
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IMAGE: This animation depicts the two-stage flash configuration, one of several processes described in a new study detailing how EEMPA, a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory-developed solvent, can capture carbon from flue. view more
Credit: (Animation by Michael Perkins | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
RICHLAND, Wash. As part of a marathon research effort to lower the cost of carbon capture, chemists have now demonstrated a method to seize carbon dioxide (CO2) that reduces costs by 19 percent compared to current commercial technology. The new technology requires 17 percent less energy to accomplish the same task as its commercial counterparts, surpassing barriers that have kept other forms of carbon capture from widespread industrial use. And it can be easily applied in existing capture systems.
Bloch oscillations (BOs) were initially predicted for electrons in a solid lattice as a static electric field is applied. Scientists in China created a synthetic frequency lattice in a fibre loop under detuned phase modulation and directly observed the frequency BOs in real time. The frequency spectrum in telecommunication band can be shifted as large as hundreds of GHz. The study may find applications in frequency manipulations in optical fiber communication systems.