Polymer brushes are polymers in which individual polymer chains stand side by side on a surface, causing the chains to stick out like bristles on a brush. A team of researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Michigan) have developed a new method that allows creation these three-dimensional… »
A team of chemists at the Cornell University developed a polymer that could be used to detect a chemical that’s often the key ingredient in improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The polymer, which could find its use in low-cost, handheld explosive detectors and could be used to replace bomb-sniffing dogs, can be quickly and safely detected… »
Collaboration between researchers from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) resulted with the development of a special treatment for cotton fabric that allows it to absorb exceptional amounts of water from misty air. Since the coated cotton releases the collected water by itself when it… »
While some people find them disgusting and other consider that they are a mouthwatering meal, various research groups focus on study of muscles and employing their findings in new innovations. Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and University of Texas-Arlington (UT Arlington) researchers investigated the chemistry that allows mussels to stick to underwater surfaces in order… »
Researchers at Wake Forest University have managed to achieve a significant improvement of lighting based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology. According to its developers, FIPEL lighting provides flicker-free soft white light and it is a shatterproof alternative for large-scale lighting with double efficiency of compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and on par efficiency of LED… »
Ever since we published the article about the lightest microlatice structure last year, I wanted to cover another interesting and light material which was created back in 1930s, and perfected in last 30 years. Aerogels (also known as solid smoke) are currently the world’s lightest solid material with astonishing insulating properties that could find their… »
One of goals in transport is to create vehicles with less weight in order to lower their energy consumption. An EPFL spin-off company named EELCEE has developed a process that allows fast fabrication of lightweight composite components in large quantities. Polymer composites offer a good lightweight alternative to metals while offering the strength of steel…. »
Food scientists from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) devised a process that spins starch into fine strands that could be used to create new type of bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally-friendly toilet paper, napkins and other products. Once the process is scaled to industrial size, companies could use starch fibers… »
