Chemists design biodegradable plastics inspired by nature, programming polymers to stay durable in use and break down safely ...

Yuwei Gu conceived this idea while hiking on a park trail and noticing plastic bottles littered around.

Seeing plastic trash while hiking inspired a Rutgers chemist to rethink why synthetic plastics last forever while natural ...

Designing plastics that can be broken down easily after their use phase have often required a trade-off between stability and ...

As the global demand for polymers and plastics intensifies, an unsettling statistic from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reveals that only 9% of these materials were ...

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory used polymer chemistry to transform a common household plastic into a reusable adhesive with a rare combination of strength and ...

To upcycle the polymers of discarded plastics, chemists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory invented a way to generate new macromolecules with more valuable properties than those of the starting material ...

With conventional waste management systems falling short, many scientists are turning to nature for innovative solutions to the issue of plastic waste. One promising avenue is microbial degradation: ...

Researchers describe a new polymer structure called a bilayer-folded mesophase that has been discovered through a random copolymer sequence. Polymers, large molecules made up of repeating smaller ...

Could a simple chemistry idea end plastic pollution? Discover how scientists created programmable plastics that degrade on a ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. With so many different plastics entering the waterways that take ...