Two Alabama doctors have developed a medical device using sugar-based polymers that could help separate and support tissues during surgery, and help the wound to heal. The proprietary membranes are composed of dense chitosan, a natural and non-toxic sugar polymer that is usually prepared from the chitin shells of shrimp, according to a press release [...]
Grant to Improve Polymers in 3-D Printing
July 30, 2012 By 4 Comments
A research institute in Ohio has received $3 million to improve the composition of polymers to create better products made from three-dimensional printing. Traditional paper printers use a moving toner cartridge head to form lines of text, adding row upon row of toner, and the paper moves through the printer. Three-dimensional printing (3-D) works similarly, [...]
Porous Polymer Creates Elastic Medical Devices
July 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Scientists at Northwestern University are discovering how porous polymers mixed with liquid metals are giving medical monitoring devices unprecedented elasticity so that they can be more easily integrated into the human body. People with chronic medical conditions that require constant monitoring frequently have to visit doctors or hospitals. Current medical devices that conduct that monitoring [...]
Polymer Structure Boosts Lithium Battery’s Power
July 26, 2012 By 1 Comment
Scientists from Germany and Japan are using a porous polymer framework to potentially double the amount of energy that can be stored in lithium-ion batteries. When batteries were built with lithium, the lightest of all metals, it was a breakthrough, opening a new realm of compact and portable electronic devices. But the applications are limited [...]
Self-Assembling Polymer Creates Square Microchips
July 25, 2012 By 1 Comment
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to manipulate polymers so that they self-assemble into microchips that are square or rectangular, a shape that is much better than current hexagonal shapes, because they can lead to more densely arranged components. The MIT researchers’ method guides self-assembling molecules to produce wires [...]
It’s Alive! Polymers Help Create Jellyfish
July 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Researchers from Harvard University and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have combined inanimate silicon polymers with living cardiac muscle cells to form freely swimming “jellyfish.” The research has shown that successful reverse engineering of a variety of muscular organs and simple life forms is possible. And in a research environment that has focused on [...]
Instructions on How to Clean Plastics: Add Sunlight
July 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
As you prepare for the backyard barbeque, and you have invited over some friends, you pull out the plastic lawn chairs from the shed. Ugh, you think. They sure got moldy over the winter and spring. Not to worry. They’ll be easy to clean. You’ll just put them in the sun for a few hours. [...]
Food to Be Tested for Chemicals, Drugs, Growth Promoters
July 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For years, regulatory agencies have focused on testing for bacterial contamination in the food supply. Now, the attention is turning to drug and chemical contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced a new testing system that aims to protect the public from exposure to harmful levels of chemical [...]
FDA Bans BPA Already Taken Out of Baby Products
July 19, 2012 By 2 Comments
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the plastic additive bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles and sippy cups years after the manufacturers voluntarily stopped using the chemical in the product. In a seemingly contradictory move, the plastics industry, not consumer advocacy groups, made the request for the ban. In 2011, the American [...]
Polymer Development Reduces Fuel Cell Cost
July 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Scientists at the University of Delaware may have developed a polymer for use in a fuel cell that has high conductivity but also does not swell, thereby avoiding a common problem with similar cells that have problems with mechanical integrity. The membrane, says the developer, Yushan Yan, distinguished professor of engineering at the university, is [...]
