IN FOCUS / MATERIALS CHEMISTRY
Metal–organic frameworks: why molecular pores matter
The porous architecture behind the 2025 chemistry Nobel connects molecular design with water, gases and separation.
Read the analysis →Research, chemical principles and their impact on health, technology and the environment.
SELECTED RESEARCH & EXPLAINERS
Microfluidics & analysis
Patient-derived colon chips model inflammatory bowel disease
Patient-derived colon chips connect tiny fluid channels with a much larger problem: understanding inflammation.
Environmental chemistry
Electrochemical PFAS degradation: breaking carbon–fluorine bonds
A 2026 electrochemistry study turns a battery problem into a possible route for destroying PFAS.
Chemistry explained
All explainers →
Microfluidics & analysis
Microfluidics: controlling chemistry in narrow channels
Why shrinking liquid pathways changes more than the size of a laboratory.
Materials & energy
How batteries store chemical energy
Follow ions through the electrolyte and electrons through the circuit.
Chemical principles
Understanding pH and hydrogen-ion activity
A one-unit move on the pH scale represents a tenfold change in hydrogen-ion activity.
LIFE SCIENCES / MODELS & MEASUREMENT
When does a tissue model become a useful experiment?
Cell types, fluid flow, mechanical forces and controls determine the questions an organ chip can answer. Understand the relationship between a realistic model and a reliable result.
Organ-on-a-chip models explained →The image shows cultured HeLa cells, not an organ chip or tissue from the 2026 study.
Molecular biology & biotechnology
Explore life sciences →
Molecular life sciences
AlphaFold 3: predicting biomolecular interactions
AlphaFold 3 expanded structure prediction to molecular partners. A plausible structure still needs an experiment.
Molecular life sciences
CRISPR genome editing: targeting, repair and outcome
Targeting a DNA sequence is one part of a much longer chain from molecular tool to useful result.
Molecular life sciences
Lipid nanoparticles: the chemistry of RNA delivery
Lipid nanoparticles show why getting an RNA molecule to the right place is a chemistry problem of its own.
Environment, materials & resources
Environmental chemistry →Environmental chemistry
Water treatment: separation, capture and destruction
A membrane, a sorbent and a chemical reaction do different jobs.
Environmental chemistry
Battery recycling: from spent cells to recovered materials
A collection bin is the beginning of a chemical supply chain, not its final result.
Environmental chemistry
Green chemistry: evaluating a process from start to finish
Prevention, material efficiency and safer design change the questions we ask about a process.
INTERACTIVE LEARNING
Diffusion and pH:
test the relationships.
Explore how diffusion time scales with distance, then compare hydrogen-ion activity across the pH scale.
t ≈ L² / 2D · aH⁺ = 10−pH
Open the numerical models →REFERENCE DESK
Definitions. Sources. Context.
Chemistry glossary30 foundational terms →Scientific source libraryPapers and institutional references →MicroTAS 2010 archiveThe Groningen conference record →Browse by discipline
Full article library →Microfluidics & analysis
Fluid transport, analytical systems and tissue models at small length scales.
3 articles →Molecular life sciences
Molecular structure, biological function and biotechnology.
3 articles →Environmental chemistry
Water treatment, pollutant destruction and material recovery.
4 articles →Materials & energy
The chemistry inside batteries, polymers and porous materials.
3 articles →Chemical principles
Reaction mechanisms, quantitative relationships and evaluating scientific evidence.
3 articles →