Polymers – Page 14
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NewsEurope to introduce ban on single-use plastics in 2021
Parliament overwhelming passes legislation to tackle a range of plastics
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ResearchUntreated water works just fine as polymerisation solvent
Discovery that impurities don’t impede reaction could cut costs
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FeatureSearching for biodegradable polymers
Plastics that break down in the environment could be the answer to our pollution worries, Aisling Irwin finds – but only if they are useful in the first place
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ResearchSmart textile uses sweat as switch to keep wearer cool or warm
Material becomes more porous and can dissipate infrared radiation in response to moisture
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ResearchSelf-growing polymers repair themselves when fractured
Double-network approach creates materials that mimic biological systems
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NewsEU-wide ban on microplastics added to goods proposed
Regulation could prevent 36,000 tonnes of microplastics entering the environment in Europe every year
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ResearchPrinter uses light to carve 3D sculptures out of liquid
CAT scan-inspired printer produces whole objects in seconds
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ResearchDroplets retain crystal-like structure while sliding on vertical substrate
Surprising properties of soft material may have significant impact on polymer physics
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ResearchLiquid crystals shape up on demand
UV-cured liquid crystal polymers remember complex 3D structures and reversibly deform in response to temperature
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ResearchChemists borrow biological instrument to sort polymer beads by shape
Cell sorting machine discriminates between spherical, disc-shaped and ellipsoidal polystyrene particles
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NewsChemists Rosalind Franklin and Dorothy Hodgkin in the running for new face of £50 note
Other favourites to adorn the new polymer note are Stephen Hawking, Ada Lovelace and Margaret Thatcher
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ResearchCool MOF could make for greener air con
A porous material could unlock water’s cooling potential in energy-efficient fridges and air conditioners
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ResearchUsed cooking oil helps weed out fertiliser pollution
Inverse vulcanisation used to turn waste canola oil into controlled-release fertiliser
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ResearchAlarm raised over microplastics in human faeces in first of its kind study
Nine different types of microplastic found in samples across the world could pose health risk
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ResearchPaint achieves seemingly impossible by cooling buildings in direct sun
Coating offers a route to zero-carbon air conditioning
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ResearchRed–blue light switch pushes equilibrium both ways
Switchable reaction cycle drives bond-making or breaking depending on light colour
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ResearchCarbon rings weaved into solvent-cleaning mesh
Tiny pores in conjugated carbon network cleanse organic solvents of impurities
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News£20 million UK fund to clean up plastics production
Money will help tackle environmental problems caused by plastics
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ResearchConjugated polymers sequenced by eye under the microscope
Atomic resolution of molecules – warts and all – can help in the development and design of electronics materials