Polymers, large molecules made up of repeating smaller molecules called monomers, are found in nearly everything we use in our day-to-day lives. Polymers can be natural or created synthetically. Natural polymers, also called biopolymers, include DNA, proteins, and materials like silk, gelatin, and collagen. Synthetic polymers make up many different kinds of materials, including plastic, that are used in…

Researchers describe a new polymer structure called a bilayer-folded mesophase that has been discovered through a random copolymer sequence.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have incorporated a compound derived from beta-carotene, or β-carotene into a polymer that's fully degradable.

A record number of presenters flocked to MIT Polymer Day 2023; topics ranged from synthetic mucus to nature-inspired design.

Ion exchange membranes are needed in (photo)electrolyzers, fuel cells and batteries to separate ions and enable the desired processes. Polymeric membranes such as synthetically produced compounds like NAFION are particularly efficient, but they cannot be degraded. A ban on the use of these "eternal chemicals" is currently under discussion in the European Union, and the development of suitable alternatives will be a…

Polymer is a valuable resource in Palworld as it is needed to create circuit boards and powerful guns. Find out when you unlock polymer and how to make it.

To fold or not to fold is the question that has bugged Filipinos in recent days

Simulations have led to the fabrication of a polymer-DNA gel that could be used in tissue regeneration and robotics.

A polymer that catalyzes its own formation in an environmentally friendly solvent-free process has been developed by an all-RIKEN team of chemists. The discovery could lead to the development of inherently recyclable polymer materials that are made using a sustainable process.

A team of researchers led by Brent Sumerlin, the George B. Butler Professor in the University of Florida Department of Chemistry, has made a breakthrough with the potential to transform how we recycle plastics. Their innovative approach to working with polymers has led them to develop a new method for recycling that promises to lower the energy requirement without sacrificing the quality of the plastic.

Polymers are lightweight, durable, and easily processed into fabricated parts, features that promoted polymers to become the most relevant class of engineering materials by volume. However, recycling polymers is a challenge that materials scientists have been researching for decades.

The development of highly secure but simple and inexpensive encryption technology for the prevention of data leaks and forgeries is decidedly challenging. A research team has now introduced a 'double lock' based on thermoresponsive polymer hydrogels that encrypts information so that it can only be read at a specific window in temperature and time.

University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new material that can absorb more than eight times its weight in oil, offering a new solution in preventing groundwater contamination from spills or accidents. The study, "Fabrication of Triblock Elastomer Foams and Gelation Studies for Oil Spill Remediation," was published in Macro Molecular Rapid Communications.

A resorbable polymer improves quality of life and allows women with pelvic varicose veins to resume normal activity quickly, data suggested.

How to get polymer in Ark: Survival Ascended is a complicated process, especially if you want a lot of the material quickly.

Extrusion is a process widely used in the polymer processing industry. It involves pushing material through a die with a specific cross-sectional shape, resulting in products like profiles, thin sheets, films and tubes. However, the shape of the final product (the so-called extrudate) is highly influenced by a phenomenon called swell. Ph.D. candidate Michelle Spanjaards has developed a numerical model that reduces…

The world is filled with myriad sounds and vibrations—the gentle tones of a piano drifting down the hall, the relaxing purr of a cat laying on your chest, the annoying hum of the office lights. Imagine being able to selectively tune out noises of a certain frequency.

Piezoelectric materials convert mechanical stress into electricity, or vice versa, and can be useful in sensors, actuators and many other applications. But implementing piezoelectrics in polymers—materials composed of molecular chains and commonly used in plastics, drugs and more—can be difficult, according to Qiming Zhang, distinguished professor of electrical engineering.

With their "T-REX" method, MIT researchers developed a glassy, amber-like polymer that can be used for long-term storage of DNA, such as entire human genomes or digital files such as photos.

A team of researchers at Zhejiang University in China, working with colleagues at Rutgers University in the U.S., has developed a way to use a manganese polymer to separate xylene isomers. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes the process and notes that it is simpler and less expensive than other methods.