Nanoscopic and microscopic water droplets and ice crystals embedded in liquid hydrophobic surroundings are key components of aerosols, rocks, oil fields and the human body. The chemical properties of such droplets critically depend on the interfacial structure of the water droplet. Here we report the surface structure of 200 nm-sized water droplets in mixtures of hydrophobic oils and surfactant...

This paper critically reviews the experimental and theoretical studies on the growth of ultrathin silica films onto metal single crystal substrates reported to date. The silica films on Mo(112) and Ru(0001) are discussed in more detail to demonstrate the key roles of the multi-technique approach and interplay between experiment and theory in the quest for understanding the atomic structure of t...

Results of a thorough study of the rates of flocculation of 20 antisera when mixed with their antigens in all proportions are presented. The relation between the alpha (constant antibody) and beta (constant antigen) optima is discussed. It is suggested that most of the antisera examined can be classified into two main types, one of which, the H type, gives an optimum by both the alpha and beta ...

Faujasite (X, Y, and USY) zeolites represent one of the most widely-applied and abundant catalysts and sorbents in the chemical industry. In the last 5 years substantial progress was made in the synthesis, characterisation, and catalytic exploitation of hierarchically-structured variants of these zeolites. Hererin, we provide an overview of these contributions, highlighting the main advancement...

We report a specially designed alkaline polymer electrolyte (APE) with extraordinary stability in both physical and chemical properties, which enables applications of fuel cells and electrolysis at elevated temperatures.

Computational studies considering both thermodynamic and kinetic aspects revealed that graphyne, a carbon material that has recently been of increasing interest, favours unprecedented homogeneous "in-plane" addition reactions. The addition of dichlorocarbene to the C(sp)-C(sp) bond, a site with outstanding regioselectivity in graphyne, proceeds via a stepwise mechanism. Due to their homogeneous...

Defects change essentially not only the electronic properties but also the chemical properties of graphene, being centers of its chemical activity. Their functionalization is a way to modify the electronic and crystal structure of graphene, which may be important for graphene-based nanoelectronics. Using hydrogen as an example, we have simulated a chemistry of imperfect graphene for a broad cla...

Large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides applied annually to agricultural soils improve the physical and chemical properties of soil but, when they are applied without control they can cause serious environmental problems. The farms of Tizayuca in Hidalgo State produce about 30000 tons of manure per day, which are applied indiscriminately in the same region for agricultural use. The aim of t...

How electronic charge is distributed over a molecule determines to a large extent its chemical properties. Here, we demonstrate how the electrostatic force field, originating from the inhomogeneous charge distribution in a molecule, can be measured with submolecular resolution. We exploit the fact that distortions typically observed in high-resolution atomic force microscopy images are for a si...

Materials science is a highly interdisciplinary field. It is devoted to the understanding of the relationship between (a) fundamental physical and chemical properties governing processes at the atomistic scale with (b) typically macroscopic properties required of materials in engineering applications. For many materials, this relationship is not only determined by chemical composition, but stro...