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Polymers news
Soybean waste yields 3D-printable material that could help repair skin
Transforming a soybean processing byproduct into a material for skin protection and repair is the prospect outlined by a study that used okara, a residue from the production of tofu and soy-based beverages, to obtain a bioactive, ...
Biochemistry
Oct 20, 2026
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11
Simpler recycling process recovers pure raw materials from acrylic glass without solvents
Large quantities of acrylic glass are used worldwide in a wide range of applications, from windowpanes and car taillights to furniture. The polymer is also known by the brand name Plexiglas. All too often, acrylic glass still ...
Polymers
Oct 19, 2026
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19
New 'hunter-killer' chemistry captures and destroys forever chemicals
They can turn up in a nonstick frying pan, a waterproof jacket, a takeout food wrapper or the foam used to fight fires. Known as "forever chemicals," these substances are ubiquitous in modern society, prized for their extreme ...
Polymers
Oct 19, 2026
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25
Waste plastics become molecular sponges that capture water from air
Discarded plastic packaging materials, old CDs and even LEGO bricks can be transformed into materials that capture significant amounts of moisture from the air. Materials chemists Anastasiia Naryshkina, Paul Schweng and Robert ...
Polymers
Oct 14, 2026
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34
Microplastics are chemically active and could cause biological harm
Plastics are supposed to be chemically inert. It's the reason they're used so frequently to package food, bottle water and create children's toys: They're safe. But something important happens when a large piece of plastic ...
Biochemistry
Oct 14, 2026
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54
Could a molecular ZIP code unlock treatments for untreatable diseases?
Imagine a medicine that stops seizures at their source, switches off instructions that keep a cancerous tumor growing and prevents Alzheimer's from stealing memories and wreaking havoc on the brain.
Biochemistry
Oct 14, 2026
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9
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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19
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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35
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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16
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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5
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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305
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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30
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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45
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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141
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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9
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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60
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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16
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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