News tagged with plastic
Amazon fungi found that eat polyurethane, even without oxygen
(PhysOrg.com) -- Until now polyurethane has been considered non-biodegradable, but a group of students from Yale University in the US has found fungi that will not only eat and digest it, they will do so even in the absence ...
Feb 03, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (47) |
27
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New plastics can conduct electricity
(PhysOrg.com) -- A newly discovered technique makes it possible to create a whole new array of plastics with metallic or even superconducting properties.
Feb 22, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (37) |
2
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Will 3-D printing launch a new industrial revolution?
Peter Schmitt, an MIT doctoral student, printed a clock in 2009. He didn't print an image of a clock on a piece of paper. He printed a three-dimensional clock -- an eight-inch diameter plastic timekeeping ...
Apr 13, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (34) |
56
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Stronger than steel, novel metals are moldable as plastic
(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine a material that's stronger than steel, but just as versatile as plastic, able to take on a seemingly endless variety of forms. For decades, materials scientists have been trying to ...
Mar 01, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (30) |
18
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New invention can turn your plastic bags into fuel at home
(PhysOrg.com) -- Plastic bags help you carry your groceries home, they make excellent liners for smaller-sized trash cans, and now they can help you to heat your home. A Japanese inventor has found a way to ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Feb 18, 2011 |
4 / 5 (35) |
26
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'Perfect plastic' created
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Leeds and Durham University have solved a long-standing problem that could revolutionize the way new plastics are developed.
Sep 29, 2011 |
4.6 / 5 (24) |
10
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Flexible screens expected to inspire a host of new devices
Later this year, Hewlett-Packard researchers say, they expect to deliver to the U.S. Army a working prototype of what they're calling a "Dick Tracy wristwatch" - a lightweight, wearable device that soldiers ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
Jan 19, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (21) |
2
Oceanic 'garbage patch' not nearly as big as portrayed in media: researchers
There is a lot of plastic trash floating in the Pacific Ocean, but claims that the "Great Garbage Patch" between California and Japan is twice the size of Texas are grossly exaggerated, according to an analysis ...
Jan 04, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (21) |
78
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Discovery paves way for development of efficient, inexpensive plastic solar cells
Physicists at Rutgers University have discovered new properties in a material that could result in efficient and inexpensive plastic solar cells for pollution-free electricity production.
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Oct 10, 2010 |
4.7 / 5 (20) |
6
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BPA from thermal paper receipts passes through the skin
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a chemical found in the thermal paper widely used in receipts from cash registers and in some plastics and resins, and has now been shown to pass through human skin.
Medicine & Health / Medical research
Nov 05, 2010 |
5 / 5 (18) |
18
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Batteries get a quick charge with new anode technology
(PhysOrg.com) -- A breakthrough in components for next-generation batteries could come from special materials that transform their structure to perform better over time.
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Nov 03, 2011 |
4.7 / 5 (19) |
24
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) |
10
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Big steps in creating small chips
(PhysOrg.com) -- Plastic, heated in a simple microwave oven, is the technique researchers at the University of Alberta and the National Institute for Nanotechnology believe could help to re-invent the manufacture ...
Nov 04, 2010 |
4.8 / 5 (17) |
0
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Bend-it e-books get real with EPD in factory mode
(PhysOrg.com) -- LG Display has set the production clock ticking for a plastic EPD (electronic paper display) product which in turn is expected to set e-book marketability fast-forward. In an announcement ...
Mar 30, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (17) |
14
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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) |
8
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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.
