Polymer chain dynamics and phase transitions remain at the forefront of materials science and soft matter physics, elucidating how individual chain motions translate into macroscopic properties.

Designing plastics that can be broken down easily after their use phase have often required a trade-off between stability and ...

Chemists design biodegradable plastics inspired by nature, programming polymers to stay durable in use and break down safely ...

eoregularity in the polymer main chain. Accordingly, polymers with low stereoregularity (atactic polymers) tend to be less valuable materials; for example, polypropylene can be a useful material only ...

Imagine a microscopic locomotive moving back and forth along a track, propelling itself without any external force. At the molecular level, this concept forms the foundation of molecular motors -- ...

This glue is made from leftover cooking oil, which contains fatty acids that are ideal for making flexible, durable, and ...

Synthetic biologists have become increasingly creative in engineering yeast or bacteria to churn out useful chemicals - from fuels to fabrics and drugs - beyond the normal repertoire of microbes. But ...

Researchers at Cornell University have devised a new single-molecule microscopy method for studying polymers as they grow (Nat Chem. 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-023-01363-2). “We see every monomer,” says ...

In this article, we embark on a fascinating journey through the field of polymer degradation, unraveling the intricate processes behind their breakdown, the factors that influence this degradation, ...

Fast-scanning atomic force microscopy imaging of the molecule at two different time points shows positional shifts along the polymer chain on the left. On the right, the molecular structure of PEG ...