Polymers and soft materials news, September 2015

Super yellow blends for light efficiency

Novel way to produce biomaterials offers best of both worlds

A novel method for combining proteins and synthetic polymers could produce biomaterials with unprecedented properties.

New flexible conductor stretches repeatedly without fatigue

A new stretchable, transparent conductor can be stretched and released at least 10,000 times without showing signs of fatigue.

Printed shape-memory polymers fold themselves up

Scientists have developed complex self-folding structures using components made from smart shape-memory polymers.

A multidisciplinary journal, Heliyon, publishes its first papers

German Materials Society Award for Prof. Boccaccini

New technique for peering into pores

Combining super-resolution microscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy produces a new technique for studying pores.

Conducting polymers don’t need to line up

Scientists have discovered that plastics don't need to possess ordered polymer chains in order to conduct electricity.

Elsevier celebrate Kris Matyjaszewski’s 65th Birthday with a Special Issue of polymer

Elsevier celebrate Kris Matyjaszewski’s 65th Birthday with a Special Issue of polymer on Macromolecular Engineering dedicated to him.

Indium-coated plastic makes ideal conductor for flexible electronics

New material sheds light on environmental conditions

A newly developed polymer material can emit light of different colors in response to a wide variety of external conditions.

Squid suckers produce biopolymer that can be repaired with water

A single drop of water can repair tears in a novel biopolymer derived from the suckers on squid tentacles.

Carbon nanotubes confine diamonds to one dimension

The inner space of carbon nanotubes can act as a template for the synthesis of nanodiamond-like carbon chains.

Thin polymer films wrap up droplet encapsulation

Scientists have successfully wrapped up droplets in thin polymer sheets.

Top 10 Materials News from August 2015

UK funding boost for advanced biomaterials

The UK EPSRC has awarded a £5.4 million grant for research into new advanced biomaterials in healthcare.

New 'tissue velcro' could help repair damaged hearts

Engineers have created a biocompatible scaffold that allows sheets of beating heart cells to snap together just like velcro.

Special issue on self-healing polymers

Read our latest special issue on Self-Healing Polymers.

Polymer scaffolds let plant cells twist and weave

Polymer scaffolding has allowed scientists to see how plant cells behave and interact with each other in a 3D environment.

Sponge-like gel forms basis for novel cancer vaccine

Scientists in the US have taken advantage of a sponge-like gel called a ‘cryogel’ to produce a novel type of cancer vaccine.