UW-Madison researchers discovered that anions (e.g., tetrafluoroborate) that undergo Lewis acid-base ligand exchange to coordinate, or "trap," interfacial hydroxide can substantially promote...
Learn More

Pyruvate is a starting material for synthesizing a variety of biofuels and chemicals. It can be readily converted into more than 60 commercial chemicals, including ethanol and several active pharmaceu...
Learn More

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) are an emerging class of materials with unique properties. They possess useful antifouling characteristics, meaning they prevent other matter or organis...
Learn More

C3 and C4 olefins such as propene are key starting materials in the plastics and chemical industry. The main method for producing these critical building blocks is a petrochemical process called steam...
Learn More

Manufacturers require material that can absorb a high amount of kinetic energy from ballistic impacts to produce protective equipment such as bulletproof vests and tank armor, and air- and spacecraft ...
Learn More

Catalysts play countless roles in modern society including production of fertilizer, synthesis of plastics and other ubiquitous materials and development of pharmaceuticals. However, many catalysts re...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed a solution-phase metalation method for increasing M loading on N-C. The N-C supports are synthesized by high-temperature pyrolysis of N, C precursor mixtures (e.g...
Learn More

An improved ODH method for the conversion of alkanes (e.g., propane) to alkenes (e.g., propylene) that leverages an oxygen-atom donor. Essentially, the method is radical-mediated, requiring only a sma...
Learn More

Increasing demand of petrochemical resources to produce the energy and chemical materials required by industrialized societies with growing populations combined with a diminishing supply has resulted ...
Learn More

"Orthobiologics" provides an improved method of treating fractures and other bone defects. This therapy employs inductive molecules, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 or bone morphogeneti...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed a novel esterification catalyst comprising bismuth and titanium. Conventional industrial esterification reactions leverage tin or antimony-containing catalysts. W...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have demonstrated a highly consistent return point memory (RPM) in elastically recoverable monolithic vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) foams. This non-volatile memory ...
Learn More

Heat exchangers are used in chemical processing; power production; household appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators and space heaters; and even automobile radiators.  Plate heat exchanger...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed a switchable hybrid DNA-synthetic nanocatalyst that can change shape upon binding to an analyte of interest resulting in catalysis. The switchable nanocatalyst in...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed an electrochemical method for the room temperature dehydrogenation of alkanes at atmospheric pressure. This process employs a dynamically controlled electrode pot...
Learn More

From preserving food to protecting medical supplies, multilayer plastic packaging plays a vital role in modern life. By combining polymers, manufacturers create films with specialized traits like heat...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have designed an automatic arc melting system (termed “AlloyBot”) which accepts feedstock materials loaded by a six-axis robot, then automatically loads, melts, and homogeni...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have designed a new process to produce vitrimers that transforms traditional vinyl monomers used for thermoplastics by the formation of dynamic imine bonds. Vitrimers are a clas...
Learn More

The accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere is a major contributor to climate change, prompting the development of technologies aimed at reducing emissions. While carbon capture and s...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed a method to synthesize silica nanoparticles from leachates produced from mineral carbonation. High surface area silica nanoparticles are precipitated from the car...
Learn More

UW Madison researchers have developed a new acoustic metamaterial for aqueous environments. Raised patterns on the reflecting surface provide an acoustic reflection tailored to desired motion includin...
Learn More

Artificial bone implants require a unique combination of properties. They must be non-toxic, resistant to corrosion, easily machined, biocompatible, and have low density. With these properties in mind...
Learn More

UW-Madison researchers have developed a method of forming a three-dimensional (3D) structure by depositing an alloy composition on a target, and solidifying portions of the alloy composition to form t...
Learn More

The element fluorine has acquired an ever-increasing prevalence in synthetic drugs and agrochemicals due to its positive impact on the metabolism, chemical stability, and modulating lipophilicity of a...
Learn More

Materials engineering for synthetic vascular grafts to repair damaged or diseased blood vessels is driven by biomimetic innovations that improve biocompatibility and flexibility. A significant challen...
Learn More