We now generate huge amounts of plastic waste, especially in the packaging industry and agriculture. Oil-based polymers are becoming more and more expensive, due to rising oil prices that are due in ...

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 ...

Old trees are learning new tricks with the advent of composite materials. A "green composite" made from biodegradable polymers and the waste bark of the Yakushima Jisugi tree was developed by a ...

The perfect polymer—one that balances physical properties and environmental performance—doesn’t exist, but polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate (PBAT) comes closer than many. Producers of synthetic ...

A partly decomposed shoe, covered in mussels, on a sunny pier. Algenesis submerged shoes made with its biodegradable polyurethane foam in the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate their decomposition. Credit: ...

While natural polymers, including starches and cellulose, are still commonly used in biomedical research, the utilization of synthetic biodegradable polymers in pharmaceutical and tissue-engineering ...

Superior cost-to-performance ratio, resilience, and versatility are the core reasons behind the success of polymers in every major field. However, their inherent properties need to be modified as per ...