https://phys.org/chemistry-news/polymers/ en-us The latest science news on polymers 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 alternative to petroleum-based industrial adhesives. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-mistletoe-berry-bonds-nonstick-teflon.html Biochemistry Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:40:04 EDT news709462296 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 soybean stalks and rice straw. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hemp-cellulose-tougher-biodegradable-plastics.html Polymers Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:00:04 EDT news708948721 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 Angewandte Chemie International Edition. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tiny-atomic-tweak-plastic-enzymes.html Biochemistry Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:40:10 EDT news708940632 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, furniture, electronics and automobiles. Using Escherichia coli, the team produced a new polymer from glucose and demonstrated adhesive performance and thermal properties that support its potential use as an HMA. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-microbes-adhesive-materials-glucose-petroleum.html Biochemistry Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:40:07 EDT news708766801 A new recycling technique could help tackle a major challenge: breaking down some of the toughest plastics without generating large amounts of waste. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-tough-vehicle-plastics-dissolve-reusable.html Polymers Mon, 14 Sep 2026 20:00:01 EDT news708621518 A "mixing" phenomenon between plastic layers that had been predicted only in theory for 40 years has now been experimentally confirmed. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-year-plastics.html Polymers Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:20:01 EDT news708607682 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 millions of bacteria from a landfill in Kenya, Randers Regnskov Tropical Zoo, the guts of larvae and a compost heap near Aarhus—and examined their enzymes. They found 12 that work. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-compost-microbe-yields-enzyme-tackles.html Biochemistry Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:00:05 EDT news708348662 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 in compost that can degrade the polyurethane material in shoe foams. The results could one day help recycle plastic waste from shoes, mattresses, kitchen sponges and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-foam-genetically-tweaking-microbe-compost.html Polymers Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:00:04 EDT news708271082 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. And then, just like that—the scratches fade away and the ripped edge seals itself up. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-fully-recyclable-hydrogel-minutes.html Polymers Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:40:09 EDT news708263342 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 application: Lower-viscosity liquids are easier to pump and circulate while facilitating faster heat and mass transfer, whereas higher-viscosity liquids provide greater structural stability in membrane formation. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-surface-million-tuning-porous.html Polymers Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:00:08 EDT news708183542 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 from the way light scatters off the unprinted fibers of the washi paper itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-white-nature-sustainable-repellent-materials.html Polymers Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:00:31 EDT news708168421 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 a new molecular architecture that combines properties often difficult to achieve in one material: strength, toughness, flexibility and the ability to block oxygen. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-rearranged-polymer-chains-degradable-materials.html Polymers Tue, 08 Sep 2026 05:00:01 EDT news707994742 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 strategy for overcoming this trade-off is to incorporate ionic groups whose reversible electrostatic attractions form physical crosslinks that improve toughness while maintaining stiffness. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-soft-crosslinking-strategy-brittle-glassy.html Polymers Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:00:24 EDT news707738941 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), Tohoku University, have identified major bottlenecks holding back artificial intelligence-driven polymer innovation and created a system that integrates multiple tools (such as polymer databases, predictive models, AI agents and automated laboratories). https://phys.org/news/2026-09-ai-driven-polymer-discovery-years.html Polymers Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:40:03 EDT news707731501 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 can tune both its toughness and enzymatic degradation, offering a way to design material lifetimes. The study is published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-built-size-tunes-biodegradable-plastic.html Polymers Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:20:02 EDT news707664601 A good adhesive is unequivocally sticky. A great adhesive is sticky until you don't want it to be sticky anymore—a label on cardboard until it's time to recycle it. Medical tape on a cut until the wound heals. A GWAR poster on a bedroom wall until your parents kick you out. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chemists-extra-sticky-adhesives-degrade.html Polymers Wed, 02 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news707560441 Electrically charged raindrops, a naturally occurring phenomenon, can break down surfaces treated with protective coatings, according to new research published in Nature. This previously overlooked corrosion mechanism highlights the need for a new method of preserving metal objects like cars, ships, buildings and cultural heritage sites. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-electrically-raindrops-corroding-metal-coatings.html Polymers Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:40:04 EDT news706969322 Long polymer chains are everywhere: in synthetic materials, soft matter, biological systems such as chromosomes, and mathematical models of filaments and knots. When many such chains are densely packed, they form what physicists call a polymer melt. In this crowded environment, each chain is constrained by the others around it. These entanglements are central to the behavior of polymeric materials, but they also make the systems extremely difficult to simulate. As chain length increases, the time needed to obtain a new independent configuration grows very rapidly. For very large systems, conventional simulations can therefore become computationally prohibitive. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-monte-carlo-method-simulations-densely.html Polymers Fri, 21 Aug 2026 15:40:04 EDT news706536061 Researchers from the University of Osaka have developed a new class of chiral semiconducting polymers that can generate highly spin-polarized electrical currents. The team's unique molecular design allows the polymers to self-assemble into helical structures that efficiently filter electron spins, offering a promising platform for future spintronic devices and clean-energy technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-kind-polymer-electron.html Polymers Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:20:04 EDT news706446002 Polymers used for light-based 3D printing are very stable because of their chemical structure, but they are typically hard to recycle. A research team led by Professor Dr. Eva Blasco, a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM) at Heidelberg University, has designed a polymer material that can be disassembled into its individual components when needed. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-metastable-3d-ink-enables-loop.html Polymers Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:08 EDT news706357321 University of Birmingham scientists have developed a new material that changes from a gel to a liquid-like state under ultraviolet light and can be rebuilt using heat or dismantled by acid. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-switchable-smart-gel-pave-gen.html Polymers Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:50:04 EDT news706286522 In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex processing steps used today. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-plastic-gas-reforms-cooled.html Polymers Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:40:06 EDT news706270321 Most glues need a dry surface to stick properly. Bonding materials underwater is challenging because water forms a thin film on any surface, so instead of an adhesive touching a material directly, it touches a layer of water, which weakens the bond. But scientists from China have now created a superglue that repels water and forms a strong, recyclable bond within seconds, as they report in a paper published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-recyclable-bonds-underwater-seconds-years.html Polymers Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:01 EDT news705663880 Biofilms—bacterial communities encased in a sticky, polymer-rich matrix—can be difficult to treat because that matrix slows antibiotics and drug-carrying particles. With help from salt, though, Yale researchers have found a way to steer these particles into some biofilms and even deform the biofilm itself in certain cases. The study is published in Soft Matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-salt-drug-particles-deeper-difficult.html Biochemistry Mon, 10 Aug 2026 11:40:05 EDT news705580741 Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil. Published Aug. 5 in the journal Nature, the research could help address two environmental challenges: recycling one of the world's most difficult plastics and producing a valuable industrial material. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-world-difficult-plastics-premium-lubricant.html Polymers Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:07 EDT news705067441 Wastewater treatment is a critical issue for global environmental protection and public health. Researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently achieved a major breakthrough with the discovery of a novel oxidant-free electrocatalytic mechanism, opening a new direction for water purification technologies. The findings are set to significantly improve pollutant identification efficiency and potentially double the economic feasibility compared with existing methods. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-electrocatalytic-method-purify-wastewater-pollutants.html Polymers Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:20:05 EDT news705074521 The pulp and paper industry, which manufactures everything from tissue paper to cardboard, also generates a significant yet often overlooked byproduct—a complex polymer called lignin. Around 100 million tons of lignin are produced each year. Despite being the largest natural source of aromatic carbon on the planet, most of it is burned for energy. This is due to its complex structure, which is notoriously difficult to process. Researchers are exploring ways to leverage industrial lignin by developing methods to convert it into useful bio-based chemicals. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-industry-toughest-lignin-byproducts-feedstock.html Biochemistry Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:40:03 EDT news704553481 Researchers at Colorado State University have developed a process to transform naturally occurring, highly stable carbon dioxide into recyclable, high-performance materials that could replace today's plastics in many situations. Their catalytic process, described in the journal Nature, is another step toward a circular economy that reduces plastic waste and supports environmental sustainability. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-captured-carbon-dioxide-yield-strong.html Polymers Wed, 29 Jul 2026 11:00:02 EDT news704451400 A naturally abundant plant material best known for giving trees and crops their strength may one day help repair broken bones, according to a new study led by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Srinath Palakurthy and Professor Rivka Elbaum of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-derived-lignin-bone-minerals.html Biochemistry Tue, 28 Jul 2026 14:40:01 EDT news704463362 A new study suggests that simple molecules on early Earth may have worked together to create more stable, cell-like structures, offering fresh clues about one of science's biggest questions: how life began. Led by Dr. Moran Frenkel-Pinter of Hebrew University and her postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Rotem Edri, the research shows that two types of simple molecules, fatty acids and hydroxy acids, can combine to create structures that are stronger and more stable than either molecule can form alone. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-polymers-primitive-membranes-molecular-cooperation.html Biochemistry Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:40:01 EDT news704386021