Plastic can degrade in two months when it sits in sunlight, thanks to development by Indian scientists. A three-member team from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Matunga has developed a catalyst that creates an oxodegradable polymer when it is mixed with plastic granules that are found mostly commonly in packaging, writes Snehal Rebello of [...]
Polymer Effectively Stores, Dries Blood
June 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Australian researchers have developed a synthetic polymer that can store dry blood, requiring less of it from a patient, resulting in more precise blood tests and analyses. Professor Emily Hilder from the University of Tasmania’s Australian Centre for Research and Separation Science, and her team, developed the technology, reports Kate Tilley of Plastics News. Investors [...]
Implantable Fuel Cell Generates Power From Glucose
June 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
MIT engineers have developed a fuel cell that is powered by the same fuel that runs the human body, glucose, thereby paving the way for developing implantable medical devices that don’t require an external power source. The development proves the concept that implantable medical devices could generate enough power to help paralyzed patients move their [...]
Light-Absorbing Polymers Destroy Cancer Cells
June 26, 2012 By 3 Comments
Chinese researchers have discovered a way to use nanoparticles made from conductive polymers to destroy cancer cells. Called photothermal therapy, the technique can kill cancer cells without harming surrounding healthy tissue. Other research has produced similar results but those results come from using inorganic nanomaterials, such as gold nanostructures, carbon nanotubes, and copper sulfide nanoparticles [...]
Hope for Patients With High Blood Pressure
June 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
People with high blood pressure that does not improve with medication may have some help on the way, thanks to a new medical device that is in the beginning stages of testing in the United States. Manufactured by Medtronic, the device burns nerves that lie next to the renal arteries to the kidneys, disrupting the [...]
Electric Vehicles Driving Demand for Plastics
June 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) rises over the next several years, plastic manufacturers may benefit from the growth potential for the cars’ minor, non-moving components. An analysis from Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm, projects EV production to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of more than 80% through to 2017 [...]
Virginia Tech Hosts World Polymer Congress
June 21, 2012 By 1 Comment
Virginia Tech is hosting the World Polymer Congress June 24-29 on its campus in Blacksburg, VA. More than 800 lectures will be given and 400 posters will be provided for more than 1,400 participants, 60% of whom are expected to come from 51 countries. The purpose of the event is to provide an international forum [...]
Testing and Treating Chemicals in Wastewater
June 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Canadian researchers are trying to figure out the best methods to treat wastewater so that it can be reused — and they are using goldfish to help them provide the answers. As clean water sources are in shorter supply throughout the world, municipalities are looking for ways to recycle wastewater for uses beyond industrial processing, [...]
Sustainable Packaging Gets a Boost With Polymers
June 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Biopolymers will become important in Europe over the next three years as a key ingredient in developing fully sustainable packaging and wrapping for fresh produce to extend its shelf life, improve quality, and reduce waste. European countries are under a directive from the European Union to prevent food waste. So, a group of European companies [...]
Fungus Eats Plastic
June 18, 2012 By 2 Comments
A group of Yale University students have found a fungus in the Ecuadoran rainforest that can break down a common plastic, polyurethane. The students describe in an issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology how they isolated from plants a fungus they collected during a two-week trip and identified as Pestalotiopsis microspora that digests polyurethane, according [...]
