Polymers and soft materials news

Polymer microlattice benefits from some slow heating

Researchers have come up with a method for turning 3D printable polymers into lightweight, ultra-tough, biocompatible hybrid carbon microlattices.

Integrated circuits get mechanical with conductive polymer

Researchers have created the first example of an engineering material that can simultaneously sense, think and act upon mechanical stress.

Polymer material coordinates carbon dioxide conversion

A novel coordination polymer based on lead and sulfur can act as an efficient photocatalyst for converting carbon dioxide to formate.

Modified lignin creates improved carbon fiber

Researchers have developed a method for producing high-strength carbon fiber from chemically modified lignin and polyacrylonitrile.

Researchers float the idea of artificial leaves

Using thin-film metal oxides and perovskites, researchers have created fuel-producing artificial leaves that are light enough to float on water.

Making surfaces water-repellent with sandpaper

Making surfaces superhydrophobic without using chemicals

Novel hydrogel is strong enough for knees

Researchers have developed a hydrogel that is stronger and more durable than natural cartilage, making it ideal for use in knee implants.

Weight not an issue for novel polymerization technique

Researchers have developed a novel polymerization technique that can control the molecular weight of polymers.

Printed structures can sense their movements

Researchers have printed structures that use air-filled channels to sense how they are moving and interacting with the environment.

Thinking about graphene synapses

Researchers have developed a transistor made from graphene and the polymer nafion that can operate like synapses in the brain.

Carbon capture materials sourced from cheap and sustainable resources

Using melamine to efficiently capture CO2 from flue gases

Wearable chip made of polymers helps precision medicine

Polymer computing chip tracks health in real time

Sanding surfaces can make them superhydrophobic

Using sandpaper and a selection of powders, researchers have come up wth a simple method to make surfaces superhydrophobic.

Openings for Editors, the Acta Journals

Novel carbon-capture material is cheap and plastic

Using an inexpensive polymer called melamine, researchers have created a cheap, easy and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide.

Colorful films stretch back to the 19th century

By applying a 19th-century color photography technique to holographic materials, researchers were able to print large-scale images onto elastic materials.

Block copolymers make cool electronic devices

By modulating the thermal switching temperature of block copolymers, researchers have come up with a novel way to cool electronic devices.

Novel polymer offers fully recyclable future

Researchers have developed a polymer that can be tailored for different uses and recycled back into its component monomers efficiently and indefinitely.