Just like you recycle plastic containers and glass, pretty soon you will be able to recycle solar cells. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University are using natural substances from trees and plants as the basis for organic solar cells. Substrates made from cellulose — a natural polymer — hold the solar [...]
Polymer Innovations Fighting Bacteria
February 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Swedish researchers have developed an antibacterial polymer that does not leach into the environment and does not promote the evolution of stronger, more resistant bacteria. The innovation takes advantage of the most common organic substance in nature: cellulose. “We have managed to find an antibacterial polymer that attaches stably to cellulose and therefore cannot be [...]
Starch Technique Could Add to Fiber Stock
May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Starch usually is too thick of a substance to make into fibers, but food scientists at Penn State have discovered a method that converts it into strands that could be used to make less expensive and more environmentally friendly bandages and paper products. “There are many applications for starch fibers,” says Lingyan Kong, graduate student, [...]
