News tagged with plastic
Singapore-made anti-reflective plastics to be commercialized
The innovative plastics offer improved performance and wider viewing angles over existing anti-reflective plastics in the market. This plastic uses a locally-developed nanotechnology method that creates a complex pattern ...
May 23, 2012 |
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Wearable electronics - the next fashion fad?
(Phys.org) -- When most of us think of electronics, we think of the sturdy stability of silicon and plastic. Flexibility is a trait that belongs to the organic world, where materials come in all shapes and ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
May 23, 2012 |
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Making microscopic machines using metallic glass
Researchers in Ireland have developed a new technology using materials called bulk metallic glasses to produce high-precision molds for making tiny plastic components. The components, with detailed microscopically patterned ...
May 22, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Is it ripe? Carbon nanotube-based ethylene sensor establishes fruit ripeness
(Phys.org) -- The term ethylene (ethene) generally brings to mind polyethylene plastics, not fruit. However, ethylene is more than just a feedstock for chemical industry, it is also the smallest plant hormone, ...
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
May 19, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
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Microplastics endanger ocean health
Tiny pieces of plastic contaminate almost every sea in the world. Now scientists have found that marine creatures like fish and birds are eating this microscopic waste, which may be harming their health.
May 17, 2012 |
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Full control of plastic transistors
In an article in the highly ranked interdisciplinary journal PNAS, Loïg Kergoat, a researcher at Linköping University, describes how transistors made of plastic can be controlled with great precision.
May 16, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Plastic trash altering ocean habitats, study shows
A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study led by a graduate student researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography ...
May 08, 2012 |
3.8 / 5 (8) |
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Powered by poo: Students use dog waste to light park
Every day, about 200 dogs and their owners visit the Cosmo dog park in Gilbert, Ariz. When they go home, they leave behind about eight cubic yards of dog waste, plastic bottles, bags and other trash.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 02, 2012 |
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Chemical engineers find high-yield method of making xylene from biomass
A team of chemical engineers led by Paul J. Dauenhauer of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a new, high-yield method of producing the key ingredient used to make plastic bottles from biomass. The process ...
Apr 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels
Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells.
Apr 27, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
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Wind pushes plastics deeper into oceans, driving trash estimates up
(Phys.org) -- While working on a research sailboat gliding over glassy seas in the Pacific Ocean, oceanographer Giora Proskurowski noticed something new: The water was littered with confetti-size pieces of ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 25, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
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Lightweight construction on the way to volume production
Carmakers and airplane manufacturers are very particular when it comes to the weight of their models: the lighter they are, the less fuel they consume - and the less carbon dioxide they blow into the air. ...
Apr 23, 2012 |
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2
New research could mean cell phones that see through walls
Comic book hero superpowers may be one step closer to reality after the latest technological feats made by researchers at UT Dallas. They have designed an imager chip that could turn mobile phones into devices ...
Apr 18, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (15) |
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The sea as a rubbish tip
Biologists have prepared guidelines for a more precise investigation into marine pollution from microplastic particles.
Apr 17, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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NASA shows off new algae farming technique for making biofuel
(Phys.org) -- NASA is clearly looking far into the future for a way to handle both human waste and a need for fuel on either long space flights or when attempting to colonize another planet. To that end, they’ve ...
Apr 16, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (18) |
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Plastic
Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular weight, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs.
The word derives from the Greek πλαστικός (plastikos) meaning fit for molding, and πλαστός (plastos) meaning molded. It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into an enormous variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.
The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum, for instance, is plastic in this sense, but not a plastic in the common sense; while some plastics, in their finished forms, will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical sense.
There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics, if exposed to enough heat, will melt. Thermosets will keep their shape until they are charred and burnt. Some examples of thermoplastics are grocery bags, piano keys and some automobile parts. Examples of thermosets are children's dinner sets and circuit boards.
For more information about Plastic, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
