Phys.org February 12, 2024 Removal of micro- and nano-plastics from water is challenging using conventional separation methods. A new class of solvents composed of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors called Deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been proposed as a cheaper alternative to ionic liquids. Hydrophobic DES derived from natural compounds (NADES) show promise as extractants in liquid–liquid extractions. Researchers at the University of Kentucky investigated the extraction efficiency of micro- and nano-plastics including polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and a bioplastic polylactic acid from fresh water and saltwater using three hydrophobic NADES. The extraction efficiencies were in a range of 50–93% (maximum […]
Tag Archives: Water
An illuminated water droplet creates an ‘optical atom’
Phys.org January 31, 2023 When light scatters off a sphere, it produces a rich Mie spectrum full of overlapping resonances. Single resonances can be explained with a quantum analogy and result in Fano profiles. However, the full spectrum is so complex that recognizable patterns have not been found, and is only understood by comparing to numerical simulations. An international team of researchers (Sweden, Mexico) has shown the directional Mie spectrum of evaporating water droplets arranged in consecutive Fano Combs. They explained it by expanding the quantum analogy. This turns the droplet into an “optical atom” with angular momentum, tunneling, and […]
In a first, scientists capture a ‘quantum tug’ between neighboring water molecules
Phys.org August 25, 2021 An accurate description of the ultrafast vibrational motion of water molecules is essential for understanding the nature of hydrogen bonds and many solution-phase chemical reactions. An international team of researchers (USA – SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, UC Davis, University of Nebraska, Stanford University, Sweden) measured the ultrafast structural response to the excitation of the OH stretching vibration in liquid water with femtosecond temporal and atomic spatial resolution using liquid ultrafast electron scattering. They observed a transient hydrogen bond contraction of roughly 0.04 Å on a timescale of 80 femtoseconds, followed by a thermalization on a timescale of […]
Engineers clean up water pollution with sunlight
Science Daily August 11, 2021 Researchers at the Michigan Technological University have developed a comprehensive reactive activity model that shows how singlet oxygen’s reaction mechanisms perform against a diverse group of contaminants and computes their half-life in a natural aquatic environment. The rate of indirect-sunlight-initiated chemical oxidation is unique to the body of water; singlet oxygen plays a partial role in degrading the toxins in harmful algal blooms and in breaking down the excess nitrogen and phosphorus produced by agricultural runoff. It can oxidize chemicals in drinking water or wastewater treatments. With the half-life calculations established by their model, the […]
Researchers created a tiny circuit through a single water molecule
Phys.org April 20, 2020 Water molecules can mediate charge transfer in biological and chemical reactions by forming electronic coupling pathways. Through molecular-level (Duke University, Arizona State University, Pennsylvania State University, UC Davis) has shown that there are two distinct states of water, corresponding to parallel and perpendicular orientations of the molecules. Water molecules switch from parallel to perpendicular orientations on applying an electric field, producing a switch from high- to low-conductance states, thus enabling the determination of single water molecular dipole moments. Water-water interactions affect the atomic-scale configuration and conductance of water molecules. These findings demonstrate the importance of the […]