Research management - Mar 27
University of Toronto scores top marks in QS World University Rankings by Subject
University of Toronto scores top marks in QS World University Rankings by Subject
Event - Mar 27
In photos: New Canadians take citizenship oath at University of Toronto Mississauga-hosted ceremony
In photos: New Canadians take citizenship oath at University of Toronto Mississauga-hosted ceremony
news
« BACK
Chemistry - Materials Science - 23.02.2023 
Researchers enhance durability of low-cost solar cells made from nano-sized crystals
An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells - an important step toward commercialization of an emerging photovoltaic technology that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Unlike traditional solar cells, which are made from wafers of extremely high-purity silicon, perovskite solar cells are built from nano-sized crystals.
Chemistry - Life Sciences - 09.02.2023 
Chemists create nanomachines by breaking them apart
Some "broken" nanomachines better sense their environment while others gain the ability to control their activity over time, researchers at Université de Montréal find. CONTENU - "Every act of creation," Picasso famously noted, "is first an act of destruction." Taking this concept literally, researchers in Canada have now discovered that "breaking" molecular nanomachines basic to life can create new ones that work even better.
Physics - Chemistry - 01.02.2023
Chemistry - Environment - 23.01.2023 
New catalyst design could make better use of captured carbon, researchers say
A new catalyst design created by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering could significantly improve the practicality of an electrochemical process that converts captured carbon dioxide into multi-carbon molecules - some of the key building blocks of the chemical industry.
Physics - Chemistry - 16.01.2023 
Experimental physicists take step toward understanding natural quantum systems
"Suppose you knew everything there was to know about a water molecule - the chemical formula, the bond angle, etc.," says experimental physicist Joseph Thywissen . "You might know everything about the molecule, but still not know there are waves on the ocean - much less how to surf them," he says.
Chemistry - Environment - 21.12.2022 
A process to produce fuel from banana peel
This green process could be used to valorize other food remains rich in cellulose or lignin The banana is an excellent source of energy, nutritionists will tell you unanimously. So is the peel, according to Marie-Josée Dumont, but in the fuel sense of the term. The professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Laval University and her colleagues at McGill University have just taken a new step towards a fuel based on banana peel by substantially improving the efficiency of an existing chemical process.
Chemistry - Computer Science - 16.12.2022 
Using quantum-inspired computing, University of Toronto Engineering and Fujitsu discover improved catalyst for clean hydrogen
Researchers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Fujitsu have developed a new way of searching through 'chemical space' for materials with desirable properties. The technique has resulted in a promising new catalyst material that could help lower the cost of producing clean hydrogen.
Astronomy / Space Science - Chemistry - 22.11.2022 
An exoplanet atmosphere as never seen before
The James Webb Space Telescope reveals another first: a full menu of atoms, molecules, and even signs of active chemistry and clouds in the distant 'hot Saturn" known as WASP-39 b. CONTENU - Known for beaming stunning images back to Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just scored another first: a molecular and chemical portrait of a distant world's skies.
Physics - Chemistry - 26.10.2022
Environment - Chemistry - 21.10.2022
Environment - Chemistry - 06.10.2022
Life Sciences - Chemistry - 30.09.2022 
The surprising Swiss-Army-knife-like functions of a powerful enzyme
Blue-green algae (AKA cyanobacteria) have a superpower which likely helps them be highly successful as invaders of waterways. They have an extraordinary ability to store energy and nitrogen in their cells for times of need. But how exactly they do so remains only partly understood. Now researchers from McGill University and their collaborators at ETH Zurich have uncovered an intriguing hitherto unknown ability of the enzymes (known as cyanophycin synthetases) that are active in creating these food reserves.
Earth Sciences - Chemistry - 28.09.2022 
Predicting the next volcanic eruption, plus other stories
Predicting the next volcanic eruption Volcanic eruptions can be tricky to predict. Magma stored below volcanoes contains dissolved gases, including carbon dioxide, which escape to the surface and can be sampled at different times (before, after or during) an eruption to provide clues about the next one.
Chemistry - Environment - 08.09.2022 
Research team investigating ’forever chemicals’ in water systems
Researchers at Western's Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) a nd collaborators from academia, government and industry are identifying and treating 'forever chemicals' in water systems, an ever-increasing environmental concern which affects more than 2.5 million Canadians.
Health - Chemistry - 18.08.2022 
Common ingredient in household products could be contributing to antibiotic resistance: University of Toronto researchers
A recent study by researchers at the University of Toronto has identified a chemical found in several consumer products that could be a potential cause of the rise of antibiotic resistance In Canada. The study, by Assistant Professor Hui Peng 's research group in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was able to show that triclosan - a chemical often included in household items like hand soaps, toothpastes, and cleaning products to fight off bacteria - is the predominant antibiotic in Ontario sewage sludge.
Health - Chemistry - 10.08.2022 
University of Toronto chemist aims to improve diagnosis of disease one protein molecule at a time
Scientists understand that proteins cause various diseases, from Alzheimer's to cystic fibrosis to Parkinson's to cataracts. But detecting them before they trigger illness is still a work in progress. For University of Toronto analytical chemist Alana Ogata , the answer is to find better ways to identify single protein molecules in our bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva and sweat.
Health - Chemistry - 15.07.2022 
Reverse engineering the heart: University of Toronto researchers create bioartificial left ventricle
University of Toronto researchers in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have grown a small-scale model of a human left heart ventricle in the lab. The bioartificial tissue construct is made with living heart cells and beats strongly enough to pump fluid inside a bioreactor. In the human heart, the left ventricle is the one that pumps freshly oxygenated blood into the aorta, and from there into the rest of the body.
Materials Science - Chemistry - 14.06.2022 
A biological super glue from mistletoe berries?
Each mistletoe berry can produce up to two metres of a gluey thread called viscin. It allows the seeds of this parasitic plant to stick to and infect host plants. Since ancient times, mistletoe berries have been explored as treatments for everything from infertility and epilepsy to cancer. But, until now, no one has fully investigated the potential medical or technical uses of the glue itself.
Materials Science - Chemistry - 09.06.2022 
Researchers envision wood-derived, self-powered biosensors for wireless devices
Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to University of Toronto and University of Waterloo researchers. In a new study recently published in Nano Energy , the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils - derived from tree bark - in a prototype self-powered device capable of sending a wireless signal to a smartphone via bluetooth.
Environment - Chemistry - 27.05.2022 
How chemicals are trapped in the body by studying polar bear poop
A new University of Toronto study is using polar bear scat to reveal how certain chemical contaminants can become trapped - and build up - inside the body. Polar bears are prone to storing certain contaminants in their bodies because they are at the top of the food chain, have a very fatty diet and have evolved to absorb high amounts of fat.
Chemistry
Results 1 - 20 of 26.
An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells - an important step toward commercialization of an emerging photovoltaic technology that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Unlike traditional solar cells, which are made from wafers of extremely high-purity silicon, perovskite solar cells are built from nano-sized crystals.
Some "broken" nanomachines better sense their environment while others gain the ability to control their activity over time, researchers at Université de Montréal find. CONTENU - "Every act of creation," Picasso famously noted, "is first an act of destruction." Taking this concept literally, researchers in Canada have now discovered that "breaking" molecular nanomachines basic to life can create new ones that work even better.
New discovery may be key to controlling chemical reactions
Unexpected resonance frequencies observed in reactions between two molecules A new study published today in Nature is changing our understanding of chemical reactions and overturning previous theoretical models by finding an unexpected resonance frequency during the reaction of two molecules. Resonance is when one object vibrating at the same natural frequency as a second object forces that second object into vibrational motion.
Unexpected resonance frequencies observed in reactions between two molecules A new study published today in Nature is changing our understanding of chemical reactions and overturning previous theoretical models by finding an unexpected resonance frequency during the reaction of two molecules. Resonance is when one object vibrating at the same natural frequency as a second object forces that second object into vibrational motion.
A new catalyst design created by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering could significantly improve the practicality of an electrochemical process that converts captured carbon dioxide into multi-carbon molecules - some of the key building blocks of the chemical industry.
"Suppose you knew everything there was to know about a water molecule - the chemical formula, the bond angle, etc.," says experimental physicist Joseph Thywissen . "You might know everything about the molecule, but still not know there are waves on the ocean - much less how to surf them," he says.
This green process could be used to valorize other food remains rich in cellulose or lignin The banana is an excellent source of energy, nutritionists will tell you unanimously. So is the peel, according to Marie-Josée Dumont, but in the fuel sense of the term. The professor from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Laval University and her colleagues at McGill University have just taken a new step towards a fuel based on banana peel by substantially improving the efficiency of an existing chemical process.
Researchers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Fujitsu have developed a new way of searching through 'chemical space' for materials with desirable properties. The technique has resulted in a promising new catalyst material that could help lower the cost of producing clean hydrogen.
The James Webb Space Telescope reveals another first: a full menu of atoms, molecules, and even signs of active chemistry and clouds in the distant 'hot Saturn" known as WASP-39 b. CONTENU - Known for beaming stunning images back to Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) just scored another first: a molecular and chemical portrait of a distant world's skies.
Subatomic MRI could lead to new drug therapies
A new imaging technique using quantum science may lead to novel drug therapies and treatment options, a recent study has found. Researchers at the University of Waterloo and supported by Transformative Quantum Technologies have demonstrated the feasibility of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance diffraction (NMRd) to investigate the lattice structure of crystalline solids on an atomic scale, a feat that had only been possible for larger-scale imaging applications like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
A new imaging technique using quantum science may lead to novel drug therapies and treatment options, a recent study has found. Researchers at the University of Waterloo and supported by Transformative Quantum Technologies have demonstrated the feasibility of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance diffraction (NMRd) to investigate the lattice structure of crystalline solids on an atomic scale, a feat that had only been possible for larger-scale imaging applications like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Seawater: memory keeper, energy source, and pollution tracking
Sampling seawater just below the surface of a seagrass bed in Quatsino Sound, British Columbia. Credit: Mike McDermid What can a bottle of seawater tell you about the fish living below? Seawater holds -memories- in the form of DNA from fish and invertebrates that have recently passed by. This information, called environmental DNA or eDNA, can be used by scientists to track species across space.
Sampling seawater just below the surface of a seagrass bed in Quatsino Sound, British Columbia. Credit: Mike McDermid What can a bottle of seawater tell you about the fish living below? Seawater holds -memories- in the form of DNA from fish and invertebrates that have recently passed by. This information, called environmental DNA or eDNA, can be used by scientists to track species across space.
On-site reactors could affordably turn CO2 into valuable chemicals
New technology makes the process of turning CO2 into valuable chemicals economically viable for industrialization New technology developed at the University of Waterloo could make a significant difference in the fight against climate change by affordably converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and other valuable chemicals on an industrial scale.
New technology makes the process of turning CO2 into valuable chemicals economically viable for industrialization New technology developed at the University of Waterloo could make a significant difference in the fight against climate change by affordably converting harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuels and other valuable chemicals on an industrial scale.
Blue-green algae (AKA cyanobacteria) have a superpower which likely helps them be highly successful as invaders of waterways. They have an extraordinary ability to store energy and nitrogen in their cells for times of need. But how exactly they do so remains only partly understood. Now researchers from McGill University and their collaborators at ETH Zurich have uncovered an intriguing hitherto unknown ability of the enzymes (known as cyanophycin synthetases) that are active in creating these food reserves.
Predicting the next volcanic eruption Volcanic eruptions can be tricky to predict. Magma stored below volcanoes contains dissolved gases, including carbon dioxide, which escape to the surface and can be sampled at different times (before, after or during) an eruption to provide clues about the next one.
Researchers at Western's Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) a nd collaborators from academia, government and industry are identifying and treating 'forever chemicals' in water systems, an ever-increasing environmental concern which affects more than 2.5 million Canadians.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Toronto has identified a chemical found in several consumer products that could be a potential cause of the rise of antibiotic resistance In Canada. The study, by Assistant Professor Hui Peng 's research group in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science, was able to show that triclosan - a chemical often included in household items like hand soaps, toothpastes, and cleaning products to fight off bacteria - is the predominant antibiotic in Ontario sewage sludge.
Scientists understand that proteins cause various diseases, from Alzheimer's to cystic fibrosis to Parkinson's to cataracts. But detecting them before they trigger illness is still a work in progress. For University of Toronto analytical chemist Alana Ogata , the answer is to find better ways to identify single protein molecules in our bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva and sweat.
University of Toronto researchers in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have grown a small-scale model of a human left heart ventricle in the lab. The bioartificial tissue construct is made with living heart cells and beats strongly enough to pump fluid inside a bioreactor. In the human heart, the left ventricle is the one that pumps freshly oxygenated blood into the aorta, and from there into the rest of the body.
Each mistletoe berry can produce up to two metres of a gluey thread called viscin. It allows the seeds of this parasitic plant to stick to and infect host plants. Since ancient times, mistletoe berries have been explored as treatments for everything from infertility and epilepsy to cancer. But, until now, no one has fully investigated the potential medical or technical uses of the glue itself.
Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to University of Toronto and University of Waterloo researchers. In a new study recently published in Nano Energy , the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils - derived from tree bark - in a prototype self-powered device capable of sending a wireless signal to a smartphone via bluetooth.
A new University of Toronto study is using polar bear scat to reveal how certain chemical contaminants can become trapped - and build up - inside the body. Polar bears are prone to storing certain contaminants in their bodies because they are at the top of the food chain, have a very fatty diet and have evolved to absorb high amounts of fat.
Research management - Mar 27
University of Toronto scores top marks in QS World University Rankings by Subject
University of Toronto scores top marks in QS World University Rankings by Subject
Event - Mar 27
In photos: New Canadians take citizenship oath at University of Toronto Mississauga-hosted ceremony
In photos: New Canadians take citizenship oath at University of Toronto Mississauga-hosted ceremony