What if we could invent materials that can repair themselves when damaged? Polymer molecules in various states – solid, melt, solution – are susceptible to covalent bond changes in response to ...

Semiconducting polymer nanomaterials are advanced π-conjugated polymers with alternating double and single bonds, which allow for π-electron delocalization and intermolecular π−π interactions. Unlike ...

Piezoelectric materials convert mechanical stress into electricity, or vice versa, and can be useful in sensors, actuators and many other applications. But implementing piezoelectrics in polymers -- ...

An AIST research team has developed a certified reference material (CRM) with a single degree of polymerization without distribution of molecular weight, even though it is an artificially manufactured ...

NIMS and RIKEN have succeeded in synthesizing the longest ever bottlebrush polymer. This polymer--resembling a green foxtail--is composed of a main chain and numerous side chains grafting from it. The ...

Plastics, by and large, are well-understood materials. Not as strong as most metals, but often much lighter, these man-made polymers have found innumerable applications that have revolutionized the ...

"Taking a shine to polymers: Fluorescent molecule betrays the breakdown of polymer materials." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2020 / 11 / 201124131134.htm (accessed December 12, 2025) ...

Scientists are keen to develop new materials for lightweight, flexible, and affordable wearable electronics so that, one day, dropping our smartphones won’t result in irreparable damage. One team at ...

Nowadays, MPPs can be ubiquitously detected around the globe in aquatic environments. Rivers, arctic ice, lakes, oceans, tap water and bottled water are all contaminated with microplastic particles.

Raman spectroscopy is increasingly used for polymer characterization because it is non-destructive, requires no sample preparation, and produces data in seconds. It is also simple for the user; even ...