Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr Nathan Kilah

@chemistrynathan.bsky.social

1.3K followers 590 following 4.3K posts

Research Chemist, Senior Lecturer, Science Communicator, Edible Gardener, Beekeeper, Anti-authoritarian, Husband, Dad. I will ❤️ your gardening posts. www.nathankilah.com/science-communication nipaluna/Hobart, lutruwita/Tasmania

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · Nov 11

What's your preferred method to wash your clothes? In this piece for The Conversation I outline the differences between washing with powder and liquid by looking at the underlying chemistry. #ChemSky #OzChem

What’s the difference between liquid and powder laundry detergent? It’s not just the obvious

The chemistry of laundry detergents is fundamental to their performance. Knowing more about these ingredients will help inform your choices.

theconversation.com

10 17 62

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 8h

False advertising. Clearly only one in the packaging.

1 1

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 8h

And yet so many Labor voters have been happy to drift to the right. I keep waiting for them to complete a vote compass, or otherwise become disenfranchised and vote Green. But it hasn't happened yet.

1 1

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Rosie Young @rosieyoung.bsky.social · 2d

Day one of our 2025 Crystallography Workshop! Featuring a special pop-up talk from @sbattenresearch.bsky.social about this year's chemistry Nobel Prize, and outreach training where everyone could make their own lolly crystal structure 🍭💎 @crystallised-cricket.com #BraggYourPattern #OzChem

Interpenetrated dodecahedrons made out of lolly cubes and toothpicks

Stuart Battern standing in front of slide with 2025 Chemistry Nobel Prize winners on it in lecture theatre

1 8 17

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Jack M Davenport @jackmdavenport.bsky.social · 13h

On way to a conference and passed a sign that advertised ‘Seminar on Satan’ and now I wish I was going to that event. #tasmania

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

goldingcartoons.bsky.social @goldingcartoons.bsky.social · 13h

Use it or lose it.
The Age

4 35 84

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

The Cathy Wilcox @cathywilcox.bsky.social · 14h

Bittersweet.
My @smh cartoon.

Single frame. Three pairs of hands reaching from the left towards three pairs of hands reaching from the right. But on the left, two pairs of hands are dotted outlines.

2 50 180

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Glen Le Lievre @lelievre.bsky.social · Aug 22

Hands off my super, man
Thanks AFR for giving this one a home
More on Patreon

1 22 47

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

disgraced wellness blogger @dryobbo.bsky.social · 1d

See also for music

Wole Talabi @wtalabi.bsky.social · 1d

Genres aren't real. They are mental projections we impose on stories to simplify the way talk about and sell them but stories come unshaped from deep within us and writers shouldn't feel constrained by or even respect genres at all. The story comes first.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 1d

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

3 1 2

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 1d

For real. You reminded me of listening to the Crowded House song "Nails In My Feet" and thinking how it actually would work quite well as a heavier Queens of the Stone Age track. Lyrically and chord structure. Guitar solo too, actually.

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 1d

"Star Trek" star's misguided new project.

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 1d

Algorithms, man. Sometimes they come up with the goods.
#NowPlaying

Jimmy's Groove

YouTube video by Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Topic

www.youtube.com

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 1d

Well, same meaning, I guess.

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 1d

"I left my keys in my other pants" takes on new meaning.

1 2

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Dana Bergstrom @danambergstrom.bsky.social · 1d

This is a significant “dumbing of a nation, just dig up dirt to sell instead” graph that is easily reversed and #Australia would reap the benefits. Australians invented wifi and were early designers of solar panels. We have really really inventive smart people that we SHOULD invest in. 1/

A graph showing a steep decline since 1978 of expenditure on CSIRO as proportion of GDP

2 18 37

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

The Cathy Wilcox @cathywilcox.bsky.social · 1d

The lights on the hill.
My @smh @theage cartoon.

Single frame. Parliament House Canberra by night - with bright neon signs saying “AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPORTS CLUB” “PLAY TO WIN - ACCESS” “TRY YOUR LUCK” “PAY TO PLAY” “‘RESPONSIBLE’ LOBBYING AUSTRALIA”

10 130 340

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 2d

New Ringu just dropped.

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 2d

Didn't even have the bottle to stick with changes to super that affected only the wealthiest 0.5%.

43 90 400

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Donna Lu @donnadlu.bsky.social · 2d

V happy to say I'm now assistant climate, environment and science editor @australia.theguardian.com, back working with the best team ie @adammorton.bsky.social @readfearn.bsky.social @lisacox.bsky.social @petrastock.bsky.social! Pls get in touch with tips/pitches (& ways to ensure a tawny BOTY win)!

1 5 42

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 4d

This, and a few slices of Tasty cheese. 😋

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Ben Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · 5d

I see America is now at the “dissident professors fleeing the regime” stage

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 5d

Our plane to Spain is in the air!

🙌🙌

Thank you so much to the countless people supporting us in every way and in particular all of the Rutgers students and faculty who have supported us every step of the way.

4 67 220

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 5d

"Thirty Odyears Tour" 😶 I am also old.

1 3

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 5d

Often a marker for antifungal/antifeedant/pesticide treated seed. Can have nutrients, anticlumping agents, increased handling properties, helpful microbials, and more.

1 3

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Stuart Batten @sbattenresearch.bsky.social · 5d

Here's my first "MOF" paper. Of course, we didn't call them MOFs then, and it's not porous. But it is cited in the MOF Nobel scientific press release, so I guess that counts.

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

3D Knitting patterns. Two independent, interpenetrating rutile-related infinite frameworks in the structure of Zn[C(CN)3]2

The structure of Zn[C(CN)] consists of two independent infinite rutile-related frameworks whose compiex entanglement resembles 3D knitting.

pubs.rsc.org

4 2 12

Dr Nathan Kilah @chemistrynathan.bsky.social · 5d

My one and only MOF paper! The team integrated ZnO nanoparticles into 3D printer filament and made ZIF-8 after 3D printing. The ZIF-8 material was superior than the filament or the ZnO nanoparticles for dye sorption. My contribution was to powder diffraction. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Graphical Abstract for the paper "In-situ growth of metal-organic frameworks in a reactive 3D printable material.". ZIF-8/ABS pellets 3D printed to remove malachite green from solution.

Abstract reads: The additive manufacturing (3D printing) of porous materials will open unprecedented opportunities to design advanced supports for extraction and separation. Here we have fabricated a reactive ZnO nanoparticle (NP)/thermoplastic composite filament for 3D printing via fused deposition modeling. The composite filament contains a 10 wt% ZnO-NPs incorporated in the thermoplastic acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). After 3D printing with the ZnO-NP/ABS filament, crystals of the zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) are grown in-situ on the 3D printed part. In-situ ZIF-8 crystallization is achieved by a mild chemical conversion mechanism at room temperature, converting the embedded ZnO nanoparticles into ZIF-8 crystals which are subsequently expressed on the surface of the 3D printed device. The resulting ZIF-8@ZnO-NP/ABS 3D printed devices were applied to the extraction of malachite green as a model water pollutant, and delivered superior performance compared with an identical device made of pure ABS, or the precursor ZnO-NP/ABS. For comparison purposes, a ZIF-8/ABS filament was fabricated with a 10 wt% load of presynthesized ZIF-8 crystals. The in-situ ZIF-8 growth approach again showed enhanced extraction performance in comparison with materials directly loaded with ZIF-8 crystals, with an increase of 48% in the extraction of malachite green. This is the first example of ZnO to ZIF-8 chemical conversion on 3D printed devices.

1 8

Reposted by Dr Nathan Kilah

Rosie Young @rosieyoung.bsky.social · 5d

It didn't collapse overnight! Some defects were introduced, which will probably result in peak broadening in the PXRD. Also a passivation surface layer has been added and surface absorbed atoms

3 2 11