Biodegradable plastics are usually sought after for their ability to break down quickly. However, this does not tell us how safely a product can be used before it degrades. A research team has ...

That trait, which makes a coffee lid or a fishing float so useful, also turns plastic into a long-term guest in places it was never invited. Unrecovered fragments collect across ecosystems, and they ...

Scientists at Rice University and University of Houston have developed an innovative, scalable approach to engineer bacterial cellulose into high-strength, multifunctional materials. Using a spinning ...

Pollution affects human health and the environment in many ways. Air, water, and land pollution continue to damage ecosystems, with conventional materials—especially plastics—being a primary ...

Demand for biodegradable polymers has been rising as a result of environmental concerns regarding the use of nonrenewable materials. Styrofoam and other plastics are among the most produced materials ...

Research in the areas of plastics, polymers, and biodegradable materials ranges from additive manufacturing to food packaging. This work focuses on the development and characterization of sustainable ...

After being used for military purposes during the Civil War, coal was first used to generate electricity for homes and factories in the 1880s. As a fossil fuel, coal played an important role in the ...

Researchers have developed an adhesive polymer that is stronger than current commercially available options while also being biodegradable, tunable, and reusable. The findings show how the common, ...

Polymers revolutionized materials science by enabling engineered molecular structures, leading to innovations in manufacturing, medicine, and sustainability.

The idea of a medical device that is fully recyclable or completely biodegradable appeals to many in the industry – even patients. Although progress has been slow, the medical device industry is ...