The United States generates more plastic trash than any other country—about 46.3 million tons of it—or 287 pounds per person a year, according to a 2020 study.
Polymers
Feb 7, 2022
4
535
Researchers from the University of Birmingham, U.K., and Duke University, U.S., have created a new family of polymers from sustainable sources that retain all of the qualities of common plastics, but are also degradable and ...
Materials Science
Jan 17, 2022
2
379
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers determined that designing polymers specifically with upcycling in mind could reduce future plastic waste considerably and facilitate a circular economy where the material is used ...
Polymers
Dec 1, 2021
0
5
Once plastic products are used and discarded, they can linger in oceans, collecting in large "garbage patches" and harming sea life. One potential solution, a biodegradable polymer called polylactide (PLA), has so far not ...
Materials Science
Oct 20, 2021
0
24
Polymer science has made possible rubber tires, Teflon and Kevlar, plastic water bottles, nylon jackets among many other ubiquitous features of daily life. Elastic polymers, known as elastomers, can be stretched and released ...
Polymers
Oct 7, 2021
0
137
The role of entanglements can determine the mechanical properties of glass polymer blends. In a new report now published on Science Advances, Cynthia Bukowski and a research team in polymer science and biomolecular engineering ...
Each human being uses, on average, 30 kg of plastic per year. Given that global life expectancy currently stands at approximately 70 years, each person will discard some two metric tons of plastic in his or her lifetime. ...
Materials Science
Sep 23, 2021
2
179
With Europe's ambitious plastic recycling strategy and growing public awareness, a plastic pollution-free future seems more and more possible despite current obstacles. For example, the EU already recycles 32.5% of its 29.1 ...
Polymers
Aug 30, 2021
0
8
A breakthrough by researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) and collaborating institutions around the world could pave the way for better products, such as improved batteries, automobile paint and cellphone screens.
Polymers
Aug 18, 2021
0
262
To synthesize plastic, small monomer molecules need to be strung together like beads in a necklace, creating long polymer chains.
Polymers
Aug 13, 2021
1
838
