News & Views in 2024

Fundamental transport modeling of bipolar membranes has identified sources of inefficiencies in power-generating applications. These insights can guide the development of improved membranes, ultimately aiding in energy recovery across various electrochemical technologies.

Electrochemical engineering offers a route to renewably powered CO₂ capture. Now, fluorescence spectroscopy diagnostics provides a means to probe the fundamental mechanisms within these otherwise opaque systems.

The efficient production of high-value aromatic esters in microbial cell factories hinges on optimizing pathway specificity and resource allocation. Now, a study shows that employing both substrate tunnel engineering for enzyme specificity and dynamic metabolic regulation for resource allocation in Escherichia coli enables high-yield production of benzyl benzoate and other aromatic esters.

Miniaturized, flexible lithium-ion droplet batteries offer a promising solution for powering implantable medical devices, providing reliable energy for a wide range of biomedical monitoring and therapeutic applications.

Successful gene delivery is predicated on the effective cellular uptake of encapsulated nucleic acid cargo. Now, a study identifies extracellular fluid viscosity as a key factor that governs gene delivery via non-viral and viral vectors across a range of cell types.

Dimensionless numbers are used to describe and optimize mass transport in catalytic systems but have not yet been established for three-phase reactions in waste polyolefin deconstruction. Now, a criterion is introduced to enhance catalyst effectiveness in polyolefin hydrogenolysis, guiding the refinement of stirring parameters.

Lithium–sulfur batteries are based on complex chemical reactions involving solid–liquid–solid phase transitions. Now, a ternary diagram that describes the thermodynamic stability of the different phases formed during lithium–sulfur reactions is established.

The development of environmentally friendly methods for the decontamination of tires at their end of life is critical. Now, microwave-assisted solvent extraction and catalytic conversion of a toxic antioxidant contained in tires to safe, industrially useful chemicals has been demonstrated.

The final structure of nanoparticle self-assembly intimately depends on the assembly pathway, which has remained obscure due to a lack of sufficiently high-spatiotemporal-resolution direct imaging approaches. Now, combining liquid-cell transmission electron microscopy with molecular dynamics simulations uncovers the complete dynamics of solvent-dependent assembly and phase transitions of nanocube superlattices.

The rates of all enzymatic reactions vary with temperature. Now, it is shown how this temperature sensitivity can be exploited to construct oscillating reaction networks that are able to detect temperature changes with remarkable precision.

The geometric design space of continuous flow reactors for optimal process intensification is prohibitively large for a comprehensive search, but incorporation of multi-fidelity optimization techniques using computer simulations and additive manufacturing can rapidly improve reactor performance.

Engineering synthetic cells faces the challenge of transferring biomolecules, such as nucleic acids and proteins, through simple lipid bilayers. Now, a study reveals how energy-dissipating oil droplets can create reconfigurable passageways shuttling biomolecules across liposomal compartments.

Electroreduction of CO₂ in coupled tandem electrolyzers is an enabling technology that can produce valuable chemicals, utilizing different reaction environments in each cell. Now, a kilowatt-scale tandem CO₂ electrolysis stack has demonstrated that the selective conversion of CO₂ to acetate can achieve competitive prices.

Accurately modeling CO₂ electroreduction is key to advancing the technology and understanding its productivity and CO₂ utilization trends. Now, Marcus–Hush–Chidsey theory offers accurate predictions of experimental results, leading to further insights beyond reaction kinetics.

Transitioning to more sustainable chemicals will require the challenging replacement of fossil resources with renewable carbon and energy sources in their production. Now, integrating industrial sectors offers an interim solution to mitigate emissions in the chemical industry until technologies for closing the carbon loop can be deployed at scale.

The carbon footprints of petrochemicals have large uncertainties, challenging decarbonization efforts. Now, a study identifies the main uncertainty sources and strategies for improving the accuracy of greenhouse gas emissions estimations and reporting for petrochemicals.

Liquid–liquid extraction is an indirect separation technique requiring solvent regeneration, and if a back-extraction is needed, it typically reduces the concentration. Now, using an electrochemical reaction, the concentration can be pumped up to 16 times the feed concentration.

Electric fields offer an easy means to manipulate liquid metal droplets. Now, directed droplet transfer between immersed electrodes is achieved in an alkaline electrolyte without electrical short circuit.

Properly maintaining the skin temperature is critical for wound healing, especially outdoors. Now, a lightweight and skin-friendly wound dressing is reported that can continuously cool the skin without energy input.