University Research

Cages Offer New Direction in Sustainable Catalyst Design

University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers have developed a new approach to structuring the catalysts used in essential reactions in the chemical and energy fields.

Doping Powers New Thermoelectric Material

Northwestern University researchers report that adding sodium produces material that is most efficient at converting heat to electricity.

Universe's Birth Just a Detection Away

A high-energy physics group at the University of Iowa is trying to learn about the hot plasma created immediately after the universe's creation, using a heavy-ion particle detector designed and built at the UI.

New Catalyst Paves Way for Bio-Based Plastics and Chemicals

Washington State University researchers have developed a catalyst that easily converts bio-based ethanol to a widely used industrial chemical, paving the way for more environmentally friendly, bio-based plastics and products.

Seeing Stars

University of Virginia astronomers are designing and building a $6 million observatory instrument that will reveal stars 25,000 light years and more away.

'Hydricity' Concept Uses Solar Energy to Produce Power Round-the-Clock

Researchers at Purdue University are proposing a new "hydricity" concept aimed at creating a sustainable economy by not only generating electricity with solar energy but also producing and storing hydrogen from superheated water for round-the-clock power production.

Population Could Outpace Water by Mid-Century

Population growth could cause global demand for water to outpace supply by mid-century if current levels of consumption continue. But it wouldn't be the first time this has happened, a Duke University study finds.

UGA Research Links Inorganic Mercury Exposure to Damaged Cell Processes

University of Georgia research has found that inorganic mercury, which was previously thought to be a less harmful form of the toxic metal, is very damaging to key cell processes.

World’s Most Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Gets Even Better

The world’s most sensitive experimental search for dark matter has gotten 20 times more sensitive thanks to new techniques that reduce the background interfering with efforts to catch these mysterious particles that comprise 85 percent of all matter in the universe.