Polymer behavior as a research area examines how polymeric materials respond to external and internal stimuli across multiple length and time scales, integrating polymer physics, chemistry, and materials science. It encompasses the study of chain conformation, segmental dynamics, entanglements, and relaxation processes, as well as phase behavior, crystallization, glass transition, and viscoelasticity in melts, solutions, gels, and solid states. Researchers investigate how molecular architecture (e.g., linear, branched, crosslinked, block copolymers), interactions, and processing conditions govern mechanical, rheological, thermal, and transport properties, using theoretical models, simulations, and experiments to predict and tailor macroscopic performance from molecular-level structure and dynamics.
What happens when you squeeze DNA? Can pressure reveal something about how our genetic material is packed, protected, and accessed?
Molecular & Computational biology
Oct 20, 2025
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66
Researchers from the Skoltech Engineering Center's Hierarchically Structured Materials Laboratory, in collaboration with colleagues from MISIS University and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, have for the first time ...
Nanophysics
Oct 1, 2025
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31
Scientists have found a nanoparticle-inspired solution to the age-old strength issue of polymer glasses. Seasoning the polymer glass recipe with single-chain nanoparticles, which are tiny, folded-up polymer strands, can make ...
Tiny tweaks in DNA folding can have big effects. A study from Umeå University shows that even the most subtle changes in DNA's shape have an important influence on gene activity and energy production. This discovery challenges ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 17, 2025
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57
Turbulence, the chaotic, irregular motion that causes the bumpiness we sometimes experience on an airplane, has intrigued scientists for centuries. At the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), researchers are ...
Soft Matter
Aug 22, 2025
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57
3D printing is going to be a critical technology in space exploration, both for its ability to create almost any object, but also because it can utilize in-situ resources, at least in part. However, the more of those space ...
Space Exploration
Aug 11, 2025
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What if a complex material could reshape itself in response to a simple chemical signal? A team of physicists from the University of Vienna and the University of Edinburgh has shown that even small changes in pH value and ...
Soft Matter
Jul 31, 2025
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We rarely think about how liquids flow—why honey is thick, water is thin or how molten plastic moves through machines. But for scientists and engineers, understanding and predicting the viscosity of materials, especially ...
Researchers have identified a form of molecular motion that has not previously been observed. When what are known as "guest molecules"—molecules that are accommodated within a host molecule—penetrate droplets of DNA polymers, ...
Nanophysics
Jun 12, 2025
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51
A fiber sensor inspired by the shape of DNA, developed by researchers at Shinshu University, introduces a new design for more durable, flexible fiber sensors in wearables. Traditional fiber sensors have electrodes at both ...
Bio & Medicine
Apr 28, 2025
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