Abstract: Interconversion of water and hydrogen in unitized regenerative fuel cells is a promising energy storage framework for smoothing out the temporal fluctuations of solar and wind power. However, replacement of presently available platinum catalysts by lower-cost and more abundant materials is a requisite for this technology to become economically viable. Here, we show that the covalent attachment of a nickel bisdiphosphine–based mimic of the active site of hydrogenase enzymes onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes results in a high–surface area cathode material with high catalytic activity under the strongly acidic conditions required in proton exchange membrane technology. Hydrogen evolves from aqueous sulfuric acid solution with very low overvoltages (20 millivolts), and the catalyst exhibits exceptional stability (more than 100,000 turnovers). The same catalyst is also very efficient for hydrogen oxidation in this environment, exhibiting current densities similar to those observed for hydrogenase-based materials.

From Hydrogenases to Noble Metal-Free Catalytic Nanomaterials for H2 Production and Uptake, Le Goff, A., Artero V., Jousselme B., Tran P. D., Guillet N., Metaye R., Fihri A., Palacin S., and Fontecave M. , Science, 12/2009, Volume 326, Issue 5958, p.1384 - 1387, (2009)

Experiments on the synthesis of element 115 in the reaction ²⁴³Am(⁴⁸Ca,xn)^291−x115

Experiments on the synthesis of element 115 in the reaction 243Am(48Ca,xn)291−x115, Oganessian, Y. T., Utyonkov V., Lobanov Y. V., Abdullin F. S., Polyakov A., Shirokovsky I., Tsyganov Y. S., Gulbekian G., Bogomolov S., Mezentsev A., et al. , Physical Review C, 2/2004, Volume 69, Issue 2, (2004)

Abstract: described is a room-temperature hydrogen sensor comprised of a TiO₂-nanotube array able to recover substantially from sensor poisoning through ultraviolet (UV) photocatalytic oxidation of the contaminating agent; in this case, various grades of motor oil. The TiO2 nanotubes comprising the sensor are a mixture of both anatase and rutile phases, having nominal dimensions of 22-nm inner diameter, 13.5-nm wall thickness, and 400-nm length, coated with a 10-nm-thick noncontinuous palladium layer. At 24°C, in response to 1000 ppm of hydrogen, the sensors show a fully reversible change in electrical resistance of approximately 175,000%. Cyclic voltammograms using a 1 N KOH electrolyte under 170 mW/cm² UV illumination show, for both a clean and an oil-contaminated sensor, anodic current densities of approximately 28 mA/cm² at 2.5 V. The open circuit oxidation potential shows a shift from 0.5 V to –0.97 V upon UV illumination.

A room-temperature titania-nanotube hydrogen sensor able to self-clean photoactively from environmental contamination, Mor, Gopal K., Carvalho Maria A., Varghese Ooman K., Pishko Michael V., and Grimes Craig A. , Journal of Materials Research, 02/2004, Volume 19, Issue 2, p.628?634, (2004)

A physicsweb.org article states that an international team working at the ISOLTRAP mass spectrometer at CERN has determined the masses of two isotopes of argon (³²Ar and ³³Ar) with the highest precision ever. This is important if you want "to place constraints on aspects of the weak interaction that are not included in the Standard Model".1

• 1. Masses of Ar-32 and Ar-33 for Fundamental Tests,
  Blaum, K., Audi G., Beck D., Bollen G., Herfurth F., Kellerbauer A., Kluge H. - J., Sauvan E., and Schwarz S.
  , Phys. Rev. Lett., 12/2003, Volume 91, Number 26, p.260801, (2003)
  

Masses of the short-lived radionuclides ³²Ar (T_1/2=98   ms) and ³³Ar (T_1/2=173   ms) have been determined with the Penning trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP. Relative uncertainties of 6.0×10-8 (δm=1.8   keV) and 1.4×10-8 (δm=0.44   keV), respectively, have been achieved. At present, these new mass data serve as the most stringent test of the quadratic form of the isobaric-multiplet mass equation. Furthermore, the improved accuracy for the mass of ³²Ar will allow for a better constraint on scalar contributions to the weak interaction. New mass values have also been measured for ⁴⁴Ar and ⁴⁵Ar, and a 20σ deviation for ⁴⁴Ar from the literature value was found and interpreted.

Masses of Ar-32 and Ar-33 for Fundamental Tests, Blaum, K., Audi G., Beck D., Bollen G., Herfurth F., Kellerbauer A., Kluge H. - J., Sauvan E., and Schwarz S. , Phys. Rev. Lett., 12/2003, Volume 91, Number 26, p.260801, (2003)

Scientists create fifth form of carbon

Magnetic carbon 'nanofoam' could find medical applications.

Researchers have created a new form of carbon: a spongy solid that is extremely lightweight and, unusually, attracted to magnets. The foam could one day help treat cancer and enhance brain scans, say the inventors.

Scientists create fifth form of carbon, Giles, Jim , news@nature, 3/2004, (2004)

Abstract: When liquid ⁴He is cooled below 2.176 K, it undergoes a phase transition—Bose–Einstein condensation—and becomes a super- fluid with zero viscosity. Once in such a state, it can flow without dissipation even through pores of atomic dimensions. Although it is intuitive to associate superflow only with the liquid phase, it has been proposed theoretically that superflow can also occur in the solid phase of ⁴He. Owing to quantum mechanical fluctuations, delocalized vacancies and defects are expected to be present in crystalline solid ⁴He, even in the limit of zero temperature. These zero-point vacancies can in principle allow the appearance of superfluidity in the solid. However, in spite of many attempts, such a 'supersolid' phase has yet to be observed in bulk solid ⁴He. Here we report torsional oscillator measurements on solid helium confined in a porous medium, a configuration that is likely to be more heavily populated with vacancies than bulk helium. We find an abrupt drop in the rotational inertia5 of the confined solid below a certain critical temperature. The most likely interpretation of the inertia drop is entry into the supersolid phase. If confirmed, our results show that all three states of matter—gas, liquid and solid—can undergo Bose–Einstein condensation.

Probable observation of a supersolid helium phase, Kim, E., and Chan M. H. W. , Nature, 1/2004, Volume 427, Issue 6971, p.225 - 227, (2004)