Ultra-sticky underwater glue
The silk-derived glue was inspired by barnacles and mussels.
Inspired by barnacles and mussels, researchers have designed an ultra-strong glue that works underwater. If you’ve...
Chemistry
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Explainer
Explainer: What is a polymer?
This class of molecule appears across chemistry, biology and technology – so what exactly are pol...
Polymers are used all across chemistry and materials science. With a growing need for plastics recycling and increasi...
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Explainer: Wastewater
How does wastewater testing work?
COVID-19 detections in wastewater have been making headlines for the past 12 months – including this week in Melbourn...
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South Australia to embrace tasty Cypriot wine variety
The xynisteri variety is drought resistant and enjoyed by consumers.
You might soon be taking a new wine to your next Aussie barbecue: xynisteri. Researchers led by Alexander Copper h...
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Next Big Thing: Catalysts can change the world
It is possible to step towards a sustainable world – you just have to be clever with the chemistr...
We now have more cars in Sydney’s CBD then we had in the 1970s, yet our air quality is radically better. Why? Because...
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Molecules brought into a single quantum state
Breakthrough in quantum chemistry has implications for quantum technology.
Quantum technology has a lot of promise, but several research barriers need to be overcome before it can be widely us...
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Why antibiotics shouldn’t be in soap
It’s the “soap” in antibacterial soap that’s protecting your hands – not the “antibacterial”.
You might assume that a soap or a cleaning product labelled as “antimicrobial” or “antibacterial” is a safer, more hy...
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Whitest, coolest paint ever made
The highly reflective paint could reduce reliance on air conditioning.
A team of US engineers has developed the whitest – and therefore coolest – paint in the world, able to reflect 98.1% ...
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Aerosols have three different liquid phases
A discovery about the chemistry of aerosols has implications for climate modelling and pollution ...
Aerosols – tiny droplets of liquid suspended in the air – have interesting chemical and physical properties. They ...
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Glowing, colour-changing polymer
Scientists design a polymer that changes colour depending on its length.
An international team of chemists, including some Australians, have developed a type of polymer that can glow in a br...
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Antibiotic properties of amber
The fossilised resin contains antibiotic compounds.
Chemicals in fossilised Baltic amber resin have antibiotic properties, and may be useful for treating antibiotic resi...
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A new carbon capture catalyst
Molybdenum disulphide offers a more sustainable transformation of CO2.
Chemists have suggested a new method for turning carbon dioxide into methanol using a special catalyst – a technique ...