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For more specific content, science news writer Steve Lundeberg is also available at 541-737-4039, or steve.lundeberg@oregonstate.edu.
In 2009, Professor Mas Subramanian of Oregon State University made a serendipitous discovery that startled the world – a new durable brilliant blue pigment. Recently the team has also made durable magenta pigments. Here, Dr. Cecilia Kruszynski, editor of Wiley Analytical Science, interviews Prof. Subramanian about the significance of these discoveries and the challenges one encounters in designing intense inorganic pigments with desired color in the laboratory.
OSU researchers developed a highly efficient photocatalyst using metal-organic frameworks and metal oxides. It rapidly produces hydrogen from sunlight and water, offering a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based hydrogen production.
Chemist Xiulei “David” Ji is a member of one of the two new Energy Innovation Hubs, funded by the Department of Energy for $125 million. "Rechargeable batteries, such as Li-ion and lead-acid batteries, have had a tremendous impact on the nation’s economy. Emerging applications will require even greater energy storage capabilities, safer operation, lower costs, and diversity of materials to manufacture batteries."
Julie Alexander, senior researcher at Oregon State University, said even without climate change, dam installations still alter the flow regime of rivers, which then changes the water’s temperatures since reservoirs act as thermal units that get warm in the summer.
A game-changing material developed by College of Science researcher Kyriakos Stylianou turns sunlight and water into clean hydrogen fuel. In an hour, a gram of the material, dubbed RTTA-1 by the researchers, made more than 10,700 micromoles of hydrogen. It utilized light particles "at an impressive rate of 10%." So, every time 100 photons hit RTTA-1, there were 10 that helped to make hydrogen, all per the experts.
To help people find the bluest waters, CV Villas collected unfiltered Google map images of 200 beaches around the globe, then analyzed them to show their RGB color code and cross-referenced that with the color code of the certified bluest shade of blue, YInMn Blue, which was discovered by Mas Subramanian at OSU in 2009.
Researchers in the College of Science have created a highly efficient photocatalyst that can rapidly produce hydrogen from sunlight and water. This catalyst, developed through a combination of metal-organic frameworks and metal oxides, represents a significant advancement in the production of clean energy. It holds promise for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing a sustainable alternative to traditional hydrogen production methods, which rely on fossil fuels.
Sarah Gravem's study showing that sunflower sea stars could potentially regulate purple sea urchin populations and, as a result, restore and maintain healthy kelp forests, was shared in the Oregonian. The Oregonian article is part of a series documenting the sudden changes remaking ecosystems, transforming the fishing industry, reshaping offshore recreation and altering what's on local menus.
Once-towering seaweed forests off the coast of Oregon are beginning to resemble clear-cut wastelands. In 2024, Advance Local Media newsrooms in Alabama, New Jersey, Michigan and Oregon set out to document the changes, with Oregon State marine ecologist Sarah Gravem weighing in.
A community science initiative along the West Coast is using volunteer observations to study the effect of wildfire smoke on birds. COS researcher Jamie Cornelius shared her research, which involves catching, tagging and monitoring common forest songbirds in the smokiest Oregon regions.
An Oregon State University researcher, Mas Subramanian, who made color history in 2009 with a vivid blue pigment has developed durable, reddish magentas inspired by lunar mineralogy and ancient Egyptian chemistry.
Any schoolkid will tell you seahorse dads carry their babies. But sea spiders? There are 1,500 species of these long, spindly-legged denizens, found in oceans worldwide, and most are doting fathers that care for their unborn young. They range from tiny creatures roaming intertidal pools to behemoths stalking the polar depths.
Ocean life found in Oregon and Northern California’s tide pools is struggling to recover from a 15-year heat wave brought on by climate change, a new study conducted by Oregon State University researchers shows.
Iron is one of the cheapest and most abundant metals on the planet, unlike nickel and cobalt, which are used in lithium-ion batteries to power electric vehicles, and ubiquitous devices, from mobile phones to laptops. Oregon State University chemistry researcher Xiulei “David” Ji is an author of a new study that shows iron can be used to replace metals that are scarce, expensive and can be environmentally damaging to extract.
While vitamin D is widely recognized for maintaining a balanced mood and robust immune function, emerging studies highlight its crucial influence on gut health and the beneficial bacteria within.
Dr. Adrian Gombart, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Oregon State University is researching the benefits that hops and a derivative in hops called xanthohumol, can help fight metabolic syndrome affecting an estimated 35% of U.S. adults.
Chemists are suggesting a relatively abundant metal could hold the key to more sustainable battery technology amid the intense demand for resources by industries in the green energy transition.
I-ron, not so far away.
A future where electric cars are cheaper, safer and more sustainable is coming — and affordable, easily obtained iron is the key, scientists say.
A team of researchers hopes to ignite the next green revolution by demonstrating that the extremely ordinary element — rather than rare, expensive cobalt and nickel — can be used to construct the cathode in lithium-ion batteries.
Scientists have recently developed a new type of cathode material using iron to make lithium-ion batteries for electric cars. This would replace the more expensive and scarce metals such as cobalt and nickel and pave the way for cheaper, safer, and more sustainable batteries with higher energy densities.
A collaboration co-led by an Oregon State University chemistry researcher is hoping to spark a green battery revolution by showing that iron instead of cobalt and nickel can be used as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries.
