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Polymers news
Single-step coating offers scalable, non-toxic flame protection for fabrics
Although extremely flammable, cotton is one of the most commonly used textiles due to its comfort and breathable nature. However, in a single step, researchers from Texas A&M University can reduce the flammability of cotton ...
Polymers
Jan 9, 2025
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Ring-shaped polymers solidify into glass, offering sustainable material potential
When a spider is spinning its web, its silk starts out as liquid and quickly turns into a solid that is, pound for pound, sturdier than steel. They manage to create these impressive materials at room temperature with biodegradable ...
Polymers
Jan 7, 2025
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37
Polymer-based network gives artificial cells a life-like cytoskeleton
Just like your body has a skeleton, every cell in your body has a skeleton—a cytoskeleton to be precise. This provides cells with mechanical resilience, as well as assisting with cell division. To understand how real cells ...
Biochemistry
Jan 7, 2025
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42
Scientists synthesize single-crystal sp² carbon-linked covalent organic frameworks
Chinese scientists proposed a novel imine-to-olefin transformation strategy to synthesize single-crystal sp² carbon-linked covalent organic frameworks (sp²c-COFs).
Polymers
Jan 6, 2025
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24
From e-waste to gold: A pathway to CO₂ sustainability
A Cornell-led research team has developed a method for extracting gold from electronics waste, then using the recovered precious metal as a catalyst for converting carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas, to organic materials.
Polymers
Jan 2, 2025
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41
Breaking barriers in polymer tech: PBS vitrimers for greener futures
Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) has emerged as a viable alternative to conventional plastics due to its biodegradability and similar properties to polypropylene. Under composting conditions, PBS can break down into water, ...
Polymers
Dec 30, 2024
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1
Researchers develop edible biofilm for extending fruit shelf life
With significant improvements in transportation technology, the accessibility of fresh food has considerably increased. However, this progress has been accompanied by escalating concerns about food waste during transportation ...
Biochemistry
Dec 18, 2024
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1
Stretchable, flexible, recyclable: 3D printing method creates fantastic plastic
Princeton engineers have developed an easily scalable 3D printing technique to manufacture soft plastics with programmed stretchiness and flexibility that are also recyclable and inexpensive—qualities not typically combined ...
Polymers
Dec 13, 2024
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82
E. coli dons polymer 'Superman cape' for sustainable chemical production
Trillions of bacteria work in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, helping produce everything from beer and facial creams to biodiesel and fertilizer. The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, relies heavily on bacteria ...
Biochemistry
Dec 11, 2024
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1
Nature inspires self-assembling helical polymer
Helical structures are ubiquitous across biology, from the double-stranded helix of DNA to how heart muscle cells spiral in a band. Inspired by this twisty ladder, researchers from Hiroshima University's Graduate School of ...
Polymers
Dec 10, 2024
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14
Scientists solve one of the hardest problems in the computational atomic-scale mechanics of materials
Currently employed computational methods to simulate materials and their mechanical behavior are based on molecular dynamics (MD) with atomistic force-fields. These methods provide an excellent description of the thermodynamically ...
Shape-changing polymer resembles animal movements with temperature shifts
A team of scientists has created a new shape-changing polymer that could transform how future soft materials are constructed. Made using a material called a liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE), a soft rubber-like material ...
Polymers
Dec 6, 2024
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87
Biodegradable polymers show promise for nutrient encapsulation and replacing microbeads in beauty products
Microplastics are an environmental hazard found nearly everywhere on Earth, released by the breakdown of tires, clothing, and plastic packaging. Another significant source of microplastics is tiny beads that are added to ...
Polymers
Dec 6, 2024
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57
Solving waste plastic processing with heat circulation: Researchers develop large-scale pyrolysis process
Dr. Byungwook Hwang's research team from the CCS Research Department at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has successfully developed a process that applies the circulating fluidized bed technology, commonly used ...
Polymers
Dec 5, 2024
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1
New catalyst can convert methane into useful polymers
Although it is less abundant than carbon dioxide, methane gas contributes disproportionately to global warming because it traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, due to its molecular structure.
Polymers
Dec 4, 2024
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54
New hydrogel could preserve waterlogged wood from shipwrecks
From the RMS Titanic to the SS Endurance, shipwrecks offer valuable—yet swiftly deteriorating—windows into the past. Conservators slowly dry marine wooden artifacts to preserve them, but doing so can inflict damage. To ...
Polymers
Dec 3, 2024
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1
Machine learning helps optimize polymer production
Polymers, such as plastics, are essential in many aspects of life and industry, from packaging and cars to medical devices and optic fibers. Their value comes from diverse properties that are largely determined by their monomers—the ...
Polymers
Dec 2, 2024
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3
Team solves a nearly 200-year-old challenge in polymers to offer independent control of stiffness and stretchability
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new polymer design that appears to rewrite the textbook on polymer engineering. No longer is it dogma that the stiffer a ...
Polymers
Nov 27, 2024
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57
Harvesting water from air: Copolymer solution uses water-loving differential to induce desorption
Harvesting water from the air and decreasing humidity are crucial to realizing a more comfortable life for humanity. Water-adsorption polymers have been playing a key part in atmospheric water harvesting and desiccant air ...
Polymers
Nov 27, 2024
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Microwave-assisted synthesis route leads to record-breaking performance for CO₂ conversion
Turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into useful chemicals is a compelling avenue towards minimizing our CO2 emissions and curbing climate change. Photocatalysts, which can be designed to leverage energy from light to drive CO2 conversion, ...
Polymers
Nov 26, 2024
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41
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Real-time fluorescent sensor could allow for precise monitoring of wine quality
