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Researchers propose new structures to harvest untapped source of freshwater

The study, led by civil and environmental engineering professor and Prairie Research Institute executive director Praveen Kumar, evaluated 14 water-stressed locations across the globe for the feasibility of a hypothetical structure capable of capturing water vapor from above the ocean and condensing it into fresh water — and do so in a manner that will …

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The Southern Hemisphere is stormier than the Northern, and we finally know why

Many years later, scientists poring over satellite data could finally put numbers behind sailors’ intuition: The Southern Hemisphere is indeed stormier than the Northern, by about 24%, in fact. But no one knew why. A new study led by University of Chicago climate scientist Tiffany Shaw lays out the first concrete explanation for this phenomenon. …

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New manufacturing process produces better, cheaper cathodes for lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries — used in products from appliances to cell phones, as well as in most electric vehicles — are composed of a cathode and an anode with an electrolyte in between. Ions move from anode to cathode through the electrolyte in a reaction that converts chemical energy to electrical energy. The drive toward decarbonization …

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A new, unique covalent organic framework for use in drug delivery and clean energy

However, synthesis of 3D COFs from pre-designed building units leading to net-like “reticular” arrangement of constituent parts or “network topologies” remains challenging. This is due to the shortage of 3D building units and inadequate reversibility of the linkages between the building units. Recently, Professor Yuichi Negishi from the Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, …

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Complete picture of Arctic sea ice freeze-thaw cycle highlights sea ice response to climate change

Until now, most studies calculated the Arctic melt and freeze onsets using remote sensing observations from the surface, but rarely investigated the freeze-thaw process at ice bottom. In a new study published today in the European Geosciences Union journal The Cryosphere, an international team of scientists synthesized multisource data from 2001 to 2018 to explore …

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Large band bending at SnS interface opens door for highly efficient thin-film solar cells

Now, a research group has laid the path for achieving higher open-circuit voltage in tin sulfide (SnS) solar cells, thus realizing their latent potential as a thin-film solar material. Thin-film solar cells, which comprise compound semiconductors with strong light absorption, require less raw materials, making them lighter and cheaper to produce. SnS is one such …

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Microplastics could make other pollutants more harmful

Because microplastics can accumulate other environmental contaminants on their surfaces, such as heavy metals or organic molecules, they could pose even more of a problem for wildlife, plants or humans than originally thought. Previous research has shown that heavy metals can easily attach to microplastics, and that this combination could potentially harm aquatic life. But …

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Adults living in areas with high air pollution are more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions

Led by researchers from Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, this is the largest study worldwide to examine whether air pollution exposure is linked with the occurrence of multiple long-term health conditions. Multimorbidity is defined as having two or more physical or mental health conditions and affects 27 per cent of …

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