Materials
The latest chemistry news and research on materials, including polymers, electronic materials, soft matter and porous materials, from the Royal Society of Chemistry's magazine, Chemistry World
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FeatureWool’s complex chemistry unlocks sustainable applications beyond textiles
Once the cornerstone of industrial wealth, wool has struggled against synthetic fibres for decades. Now, its versatile protein structure, featuring keratin helices and sulfur-rich crosslinks, is inspiring innovative applications beyond traditional textiles.
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FeatureHow depolymerisation could enable infinite reuse of plastics
Nina Notman discovers how a type of chemical recycling – depolymerisation – could increase recycling rates, reduce plastic waste and enable a more circular economy
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ResearchAtomic manipulation enters the mesoscale as 40,000 atoms repositioned in single crystal
Electron beam method used to create ’a new form of engineered artificial matter’
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BusinessWhere will we get sulfur and helium from when fossil fuel extraction declines?
Effects of Gulf supply restrictions following US war on Iran hints at potential future challenges
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PodcastBattery week 2026: The EV cathode race & battery-recycling photocatalysts
Who will win the EV cathode race, manganese cobalt or iron phosphate? Plus, how a new photocatalyst could change the way we recycle batteries.
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ResearchDopant boosts carbon nanotubes’ conductivity tenfold
Doped nanotubes could enable stronger, lighter electricity cables
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ResearchCatalyst converts plastic waste into hydrogen and valuable chemical building blocks
Researchers reuse old car battery acid, simultaneously combining waste streams in move towards circular chemicals
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CareersSustainable laboratories: Cleaner solvents and substrates
How to identify greener replacements for DMF and recover ITO from glass substrates
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FeatureThe battery chemistry race shaping the future of electric vehicles
Science and global politics intertwine in the rivalry between lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides and lithium iron phosphate
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BusinessGulf chemicals supply disruption will continue for months to years
Impact on petrochemicals, fertilisers and various co-products like helium and sulfur will ripple throughout extensive supply chains
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NewsChina dominates the discovery of new chemicals and reactions
The country’s contribution to known chemical space has grown exponentially in recent decades, driven by strong domestic R&D investment
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OpinionIran ceasefire is the start of a long recovery process
Conflict’s impact on global energy and chemicals supply chains will take significantly longer to resolve
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OpinionAlfred Wilm and the hardening of metals
How do you prepare for a so-called accidental discovery?
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ResearchWater-based membrane waves through carbon dioxide, blocks other gases
Technology could be simpler, greener way to capture carbon dioxide or separate biogas
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BusinessHow to choose reactor materials and test for compatibility
Merck & Co team describes simple testing strategies and criteria for decision-making
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ResearchTextiles with ‘water shield’ nano-coating can be cleaned without detergent
Self-cleaning coating could cut water use and reduce release of microplastics
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ResearchModified nitrile rubber gets new lease of life as carbon capture material
Two teams are exploring scaling up processes that could tackle the 800,000 tonnes of glove waste created every year
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ResearchBreaking bonds and bringing disciplines together to replace one of chemistry’s most controversial molecules
Rebecca Trager meets an organic chemist catalysing the search for BPA replacements by connecting synthetic chemists, data scientists, toxicologists and polymer chemists
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OpinionChemical recycling of plastics rises as oil crisis continues
Recovering feedstocks from hard-to-recycle plastic is potentially important in a more circular plastic economy
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NewsExplainer: what is thermal paper?
Many thermal papers use toxic bisphenols, which react with dyes under heat to print text for receipts, labels and tickets