polymers Archives

Plastic Free July 2023: Small changes to make big differences

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Research Outreach - Plastic Free July 2023. A selection of articles for Plastic Free July. The image is a pair of hands cupping a globe made of plastic fibres on a blue background.

Founded in 2011, the Plastic Free July campaign is the brainchild of the Plastic Free Foundation, a global social movement that is working towards a plastic free world. It is impossible to be unaware of the impact that plastic has had on the world, both positive and negative. Plastic is a lightweight, easily mouldable material with a wide range of […]

Mechanochemistry: A new route to sustainable polymer recycling

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Junpeng Wang investigates how mechanochemistry and chemical unlocking can be used in combination to prepare degradable polymers that are otherwise too challenging to synthesise using standard synthetic routes.

Plastics and rubbers are some of the most important materials in advanced societies, and hundreds of millions of tonnes are produced every year. Devising efficient and cost-effective ways to recycle these materials has become a crucial environmental concern. Although degradable plastic-based materials can be produced, their practical use is limited by their vulnerability under environmental stress. Professor Junpeng Wang and […]

Exiguobacterium degradation of polystyrene: Enlisting bacteria in the war against plastic

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Dr André Hudson and his team uncover the mechanism by which the bacteria genus Exiguobacterium degrades polystyrene.

Polystyrene is a chemically stable recalcitrant plastic that pollutes many natural environments. Unfortunately, few mechanisms can break down this man-made polymer into its naturally occurring components. Research into the polystyrene-digesting capabilities of the bacteria genus Exiguobacterium sp RIT 594 by Dr André Hudson and his team at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, USA, has uncovered the specific […]

Continuous flow strategies for accelerated materials discovery

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Dr Tim Erdmann from IBM research is working to increase the speed at which the materials discovery process occurs, through the use of AI and automated processes to fast track the development of polyurethanes

Polymerisation reactions play a crucial role in the design and optimisation of new materials for many existing and emerging technologies. The large commercial demand for tailored polymers requires developing innovative synthetic approaches that afford precision, control, and automation, while addressing environmental and workplace safety concerns. Dr Tim Erdmann and colleagues at IBM Research, Almaden Lab (USA), are exploring new synthetic routes […]

High performing monomers and polymers from plant oils

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We often think of fossils fuels as a source of energy, but one of the key uses of fossil fuels is as a starting point for the synthesis of new chemical compounds. These range from plastics to pharmaceutical products. In recent years, there has been a push to move to more sustainable chemical feedstocks. Professor Andriy Voronov at North Dakota […]

Improving prospects for polymer surface coatings

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Within the automotive light industry, aluminium is evaporated on plastic high gloss reflector surfaces. From a quality point of view and to meet industry standards, this surface must retain its luminance and reflectiveness for 15 years. However, the non-treated metal parts oxidise, meaning that it loses its luminance and reflectiveness. For this reason, it is protected with silicon oxide or […]