Copolymer

Over the past decade, teams of engineers, chemists and biologists have analyzed the physical and chemical properties of cicada wings, hoping to unlock the secret of their ability to kill microbes on contact. If this function of nature can be replicated by science, it may lead to development of new products with inherently antibacterial surfaces that are more effective than current chemical treatments.

Retail catalogues were a familiar sight in British homes of the '70s and '80s. Companies like Kays, Littlewoods, and General Mills specialized in clothing, while Argos pioneered a new form of catalogue retail where customers bought their items in the company's high-street shops.

The National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) has developed an AI-based mass spectrometric technique capable of determining the monomeric sequence of a polymer. This technique may be useful in gaining a deeper understanding of basic polymeric structures, facilitating the development of new materials and helping solve plastic recycling problems. The work is published in the journal Chemical Science.

MIT researchers developed a chemistry-based strategy to create organic iono-electronic polymers that "learn" and could improve electronic devices that interface directly with the human body.

Mineral oil lubricants protect engine parts from wear, and this effect is enhanced by adding polymer nanoparticles to the lubricating oil. A UK team has now discovered that epoxy functionalization of these nanoparticles further promotes friction reduction on metal surfaces.

Sodium is cheap and plentiful, but its use in batteries brings some challenges.

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

Microplastics have been reported to attach to the marine macroalgae which act as the vector for microplastic transfer in the marine food web. In this study, the edible seaweed nori (Pyropia spp.) was chosen as a target species. The microplastic contaminant situations in nori were analyzed in both it …

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.

More than 20% of the filets of Atlantic salmon may have unattractive black and red spots, which are often >1 cm and create substantial financial losses. The spots are far more abundant in reared than in wild salmon, and their causes are poorly understood.

Materials scientists aim to develop autonomous materials that function beyond stimulus responsive actuation. In a new report in Science Advances, Yang Yang and a research team in the Center for Bioinspired Energy Science at the Northwestern University, U.S., developed photo- and electro-activated hydrogels to capture and deliver cargo and avoid obstacles on return.

Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have developed a nanoparticle—an extremely tiny biodegradable container—that has the potential to improve the delivery of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)-based vaccines for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and vaccines for treating non-infectious diseases including cancer.

Looking to pick up a gaming keyboard and mouse on the cheap? We've got you covered.

Plastic is cheap and light, and conceivably recyclable, which makes it an easy choice for packaging when it comes to food and cosmetics. But it's also potentially toxic and biologically harmful, making it a non-starter for many environmentally responsible and socially conscious companies in Canada and around the world.

Tiny, disc-shaped pieces of membrane called nanodiscs offer exciting possibilities for nanomedicine. Although they have previously been mostly made of synthetic lipids and proteins, a research team has now introduced nanodiscs based on the cell membranes of human red blood cells. As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, they are able to neutralize dangerous bacterial toxins.

Most life on Earth is based on polymers of 20 amino acids that have evolved into hundreds of thousands of different, highly specialized proteins. They catalyze reactions, form backbone and muscle and even generate movement.

Certain electronics that integrate with the human body—a smartwatch that samples your sweat, for instance—work by converting the ion-based signals of biological tissue into the electron-based signals used in transistors. But the materials in these devices are often designed to maximize ion uptake while sacrificing electronic performance.

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.

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 have created a new type of fiber that can perform like a muscle actuator, in many ways better than other options that exist today. And, most importantly, these muscle-like fibers are simple to make and recycle.