Engineering

In recent years, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have attracted much attention due to their multifarious potential applications including in sensors, separations, catalysis, drug delivery and waste management. To prepare MIPs, functional monomers are initially self-assembled around the template molecule via interaction between functional groups on both the template and the monomers. The self-assembled functional monomers are subsequently cross-linked.

Meeting the demand for more data storage in smaller volumes means using materials made up of ever-smaller magnets, or nanomagnets. One promising material for a potential new generation of recording media is an alloy of iron and platinum with an ordered crystal structure. Researchers led by Professor Kai Liu and graduate student Dustin Gilbert at the University of California, Davis, have now found a convenient way to make these alloys and tailor their properties.