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Polymers news
Vapor-based method creates ultralight aerogels without conventional liquid-based chemistry
Researchers at National Taiwan University (NTU), working across the College of Engineering, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), have developed a new method for producing aerogels, introducing ...
Polymers
Oct 12, 2026
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New polystyrene uses 50% plant-based material and breaks into fragments for potential recycling
Polystyrene is used in protective packaging for televisions and electronic devices, in decorative boards and baseboards for interior construction, and in petri dishes. It is one of the world's most important plastics, with ...
Biochemistry
Oct 7, 2026
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Enzymes could unlock biological recycling of difficult plastic waste
They are durable, cheap and everyday life is now hardly imaginable without them: plastics. More then 400 million metric tons are produced every year. As a large proportion is only insufficiently recycled, the environmental ...
Biochemistry
Oct 7, 2026
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Trehalose analog provides a new platform for designing water-soluble glycopolymers
Sugars are attractive building blocks for functional materials because of their high water affinity and diverse biological properties. Incorporating sugars into synthetic polymers can therefore provide materials that combine ...
Biochemistry
Oct 1, 2026
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Mistletoe berry glue bonds even nonstick Teflon and can be reactivated with heat
Mistletoe is best known from winter traditions as a symbol of luck and affection. For trees, however, the hemiparasitic plant can be a burden: It draws water and nutrients from its hosts. Now the plant could provide a sustainable ...
Biochemistry
Sep 24, 2026
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304
Hemp waste cellulose unlocks tougher biodegradable plastics
Korean researchers have developed a method to strengthen biodegradable plastics using hemp hurd, an agricultural byproduct. The approach is expected to be applicable to other large-volume agricultural residues, including ...
Polymers
Sep 18, 2026
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43
Tiny atomic tweak makes plastic-eating enzymes more powerful
A new approach that changes just one atom in plastic-degrading enzymes could help make them more efficient while maintaining their stability, according to new research from The Australian National University published in ...
Biochemistry
Sep 18, 2026
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Microbes can produce adhesive materials from glucose instead of petroleum
KAIST researchers have demonstrated the potential of using microorganisms to produce a bio-based alternative to petroleum-derived materials for hot-melt adhesives (HMAs). These heat-activated glues are widely used in packaging, ...
Biochemistry
Sep 16, 2026
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Tough vehicle and construction plastics dissolve into reusable material with low-waste method
A new recycling technique could help tackle a major challenge: breaking down some of the toughest plastics without generating large amounts of waste.
Polymers
Sep 14, 2026
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140
40-year-old prediction of how plastics 'mix' confirmed for the first time
A "mixing" phenomenon between plastic layers that had been predicted only in theory for 40 years has now been experimentally confirmed.
Polymers
Sep 14, 2026
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35
Novel solvent recipe boosts efficiency of organic solar cells
In a study recently published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, a research team from National Taiwan University and international collaborators have developed a straightforward solvent-mixing strategy to significantly ...
Polymers
Sep 14, 2026
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Compost microbe yields enzyme that tackles polyurethane foam and nylon
Researchers from Aarhus University and the Danish Technological Institute have taken a new approach in the search for enzymes capable of breaking down some of the most difficult types of plastic to recycle. They collected ...
Biochemistry
Sep 11, 2026
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Breaking down shoe foam by genetically tweaking a microbe found in compost
Your favorite pair of tennies, kicks or trainers may soon become a little more sustainable. In a study published Sept. 11 in the journal Chem Catalysis, researchers developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found ...
Polymers
Sep 11, 2026
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Fully recyclable hydrogel begins healing itself within minutes
Imagine this. You pick up a contact lens from its container and—yikes!—it falls on the bathroom floor. Before you know it, your cat pounces, claws out. By the time you wrestle it back, the lens looks like a tiny chew toy. ...
Polymers
Sep 10, 2026
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341
Molecular surface design achieves over 100 million-fold tuning of porous liquid viscosity
Porous liquids combine permanent nanoscale cavities with fluidity, making them promising for applications like carbon dioxide capture, gas separation and other chemical processes. Their viscosity must be tailored to the intended ...
Polymers
Sep 9, 2026
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White is more than a color: How nature inspired a new sustainable way to make white, water-repellent materials
Look closely at Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of Japan's most iconic masterpieces. The brilliant white of the waves, snow on Mount Fuji and clouds above contain no white pigment. Instead, their whiteness comes ...
Polymers
Sep 9, 2026
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Rearranged polymer chains create degradable materials with potential for stronger, tougher packaging
What if the key to making stronger, more sustainable plastics isn't changing their ingredients, but rearranging their molecules? Virginia Tech researchers have put that idea to the test, creating degradable polymers with ...
Polymers
Sep 8, 2026
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43
'Soft crosslinking' strategy makes brittle, glassy plastics tougher
Glassy polymers are those whose chains become immobilized below their glass transition temperature. The immobilized chains make them hard and stiff but also brittle, causing them to fracture when stretched. One promising ...
Polymers
Sep 4, 2026
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AI-driven polymer discovery could replace years of trial and error with closed-loop testing
In the realm of materials science, there is a plethora of datasets and tools at our disposal—the issue is how to effectively use these resources in harmony. Researchers at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), ...
Polymers
Sep 4, 2026
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Built to last or break down: Ring size tunes biodegradable plastic lifetimes
Biodegradable plastics should be tough enough for use yet able to break down at an appropriate rate afterward. Researchers at the University of Osaka show that changing the size of rings threaded onto a biodegradable polymer ...
Polymers
Sep 3, 2026
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