College of Chemistry

The Future Looks Bright for Infinitely Recyclable Plastic

April 22, 2021
by Aliyah Kovner | Berkeley Lab
A study that shows what can be accomplished if manufacturers began using PDKs on a large scale. The bottom line? PDK-based plastic could quickly become commercially competitive with conventional plastics, and the products will get less expensive and more sustainable as time goes on.

A big step toward ‘green’ ammonia and a ‘greener’ fertilizer

January 17, 2023
By Robert Sanders, UC Berkeley Media relations
University of California, Berkeley, chemists have taken a big step toward making ammonia production more environmentally friendly: a “greener” ammonia for “greener” fertilizer.

Peidong Yang and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners announce research partnership

August 19, 2022
University of California Berkeley and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
In a new partnership, The Peidong Yang research group will work with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) to develop technology that will convert air into sugar.

Omar Yaghi awarded 2024 Balzan Prize

September 9, 2024
College of Chemistry Press Release
Professor Omar M. Yaghi was awarded the 2024 Balzan Prize by the International Balzan Prize Foundation.

Meet our alumni: David Liu

March 29, 2023
Manuel Ansede | El Pais
Alumnus David Liu

Photo of David Liu via wikipedia. Uncredited.

"We can correct the vast majority of DNA errors that cause genetic diseases"

The Harvard University magazine published almost a couple of decades ago that one of its professors, the chemist...

To battle climate change, scientists tap into carbon-hungry microorganisms for clues

November 30, 2022
By Theresa Duque | Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Illustration of carbon reduction cycle

New technique could fast-track future carbon-free solar fuels. (image: 3rdtimeluckystudio/Shutterstock)

Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have demonstrated a new technique, modeled after a metabolic process found in some bacteria, for converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid acetate, a key...

An electronic crystal turned flat

February 18, 2022
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Illustration of layered charge-density-wave material

Artist rendering of a layered charge-density-wave material. Blue spheres represent lattice ions while sinusoidal curves represent waves of electron density. In this case, the charge density wave possesses long-range order both within a layer and between layers. (Illustration by Alfred Zong)

When we take an ice cube out of the refrigerator, it turns into...

Solar beats nuclear at many potential settlement sites on Mars

May 10, 2022
UC Berkeley, Robert Sanders, Media relations

Illustration of colony on Mars

An artist’s rendering of a crewed Martian biomanufactory powered by photovoltaics and capable of synthesizing food and pharmaceuticals, manufacturing biopolymers and recycling biological waste. (Artwork credit: Davian Ho, UC Berkeley)

The high efficiency, light weight and flexibility of the latest solar cell technology means photovoltaics could provide all the power needed for...

Seeing in super-resolution

January 20, 2023
Sarah C.P. Williams | Heising-Simons Faculty Fellows Program

Portrait of Ke Xu in the lab. (Photo by Elena Zhukova)

Ke Xu, Associate Professor of Chemistry, is a 2021 Heising-Simons Faculty Fellow. (Photo by Elena Zhukova)

What do the smallest building blocks of life look like? How do molecules dance and dart and drift through cells, fold and fuse and form the machinery of living things? For...

W.M. Keck Foundation awards Ashok Ajoy, David Limmer, and Kevin Wilson grant to develop nanoscale sensors

September 27, 2022
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Illustrations of NMR diamond nanoparticle designs

(A) Hyperpolarized 13C nuclear spins in diamond nanoparticles (nanodiamonds) serve as sensors by relaying NMR signals from proximal analytes to a conventional RF antenna-based detector. (B) Microscope image from preliminary data showing fluorescence of nanodiamonds deployed inside micron-scale droplets. (C) Rendering of proposed instrument which...