Materials chemistry comment, December 2012

New material that cleans decontaminated water

‘Engineered living material’ that decontaminates pollutants from water

Thinnest possible MOF film separates hydrogen and nitrogen

A novel metal-organic framework film with the smallest possible thickness can perform record levels of hydrogen-nitrogen separation.

Efficient non-viral CAR-T cell generation via silicon-nanotube-mediated transfection

Switch from insulator to conductor leaves atoms behind

A novel thin-film material can rapidly transition from an electricity-transmitting metal to an insulator without changing its atomic structure.

Scientists take charge of self-assembly in synthetic polymers

By taking advantage of electrostatic charge, scientists have induced synthetic polymers to self-assemble in a defined sequence, just like proteins.