Testing how quickly a biodegradable plastic actually breaks down in the environment can take months, sometimes years, of lab ...

Microplastics are an environmental hazard found nearly everywhere on Earth, released by the breakdown of tires, clothing, and plastic packaging. Another significant source of microplastics is tiny ...

Chemical recycling of biodegradable polymers offers a route to recover monomers and valuable chemicals from end-of-life bioplastics, reinforcing a circular economy for renewable materials. Unlike ...

Increasing regulations and bans against plastic bags and other single-use plastic items, such as drinking straws, are driving growing demand for biodegradable plastics, according to new analysis from ...

From touch-sensitive smartphone screens to fitness wearables and wireless earbuds, electronics are becoming ever more integrated into our daily lives—and smaller, lighter, and more flexible in the ...

Biodegradable polymers are a type of polymer that exists both naturally and can be synthesized in laboratories. This special class of polymer is broken down naturally by microbial processes to produce ...

A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a biodegradable polymer system to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, by working in ...

Biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) have attracted global interest as sustainable alternatives to ...

Polymer scientists from the University of Twente have developed a new phosphorus-based polymer that they say could help heteronuclear MRI end its reliance on fluoropolymers. “As a scientist, you’re ...