Materials – Page 10
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FeatureCan biorefineries eliminate fossil fuels and petrochemicals?
Plans to develop the world’s largest vegetable oil refinery reveal diverging views on the sustainability, profitability and scale of plant-based supply chains, finds Andy Extance
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ResearchTwisted carbon nanotubes make ideal replacements for damaged ligaments
Rabbits and sheep can still walk and jump normally after transplantation of synthetic ligaments
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ResearchColour-changing liquids could flag cold chain breaches for medicines
Device offers simple and reliable monitoring with no electronic waste
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ResearchUnique relaxation mechanism behind case of negative thermal expansion
New mechanism is ‘totally different’ from well-known hinging model
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ResearchMetallic hydrogen and diamonds may have been made from plastics
A combination of x-ray diffraction experiments and simulations suggests that an intense laser can transform polystyrene
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ResearchLadder-like polymer that could halt electrical overheating divides opinion
Questions raised over reported structure and whether the polymer can even perform as researchers hope
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FeatureThe Sun rises on perovskites
With the first solar cells scheduled for commercial sale this year, Tim Wogan looks at the long, hard road to producing stable perovskite photovoltaics
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ResearchSingle crystal solar material outperforms commercial x-ray detectors
Bismuth compound could reduce patients’ radiation exposure from repeat x-rays
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ResearchStudy untangles friction and surface chemistry in chemically damaged hair
Researchers develop system that can be used to screen the tribological performance of hair care formulations
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FeatureA new generation of materials inspired by teeth
Ian Le Guillou finds that some of nature’s toughest structures are helping scientists to develop new fibres that could revolutionise fabrics
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ResearchRecycling wind turbine blades by breaking them down into their constituent chemicals
Thermoset plastics that normally end up in landfill can be selectively depolymerised using a ruthenium catalyst
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BusinessMaking oil and water mix by encapsulation
Italian start-up Sphera Encapsulation can protect lipophilic food ingredients in aqueous environments
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ResearchPulsed pyrolysis offers better way to breakdown plastics into their building blocks
US team hopes that catalyst-free system could be greener and more efficient than than other depolymerisation attempts
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ResearchRedesigned biopolymer solves thermal stability challenge
Chemical redesign makes PHAs easier to process and recycle
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ResearchRapid alternating polarity brings new life to 189-year-old electrochemical reaction
A more sustainable approach to the Kolbe reaction could reduce chemists’ reliance on oil-derived materials
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NewsComposite achieves the virtually impossible – it’s electrically conducting, while thermally insulating
Material shows exceptional heat resistance while still conducting electricity and could find uses in aerospace
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ResearchBoron-doped olympicenes are surprisingly stable
By possessing useful electronic properties, boraolympicenes could have potential applications in organic electronics
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NewsMicroplastic pollution purged from contaminated water using ultrasound
Prototype device concentrates plastic particles in flowing water with sound waves, removing over 70% of small plastic particles and 82% of larger ones
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FeatureThe complex chemistry of making paper
Renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, paper is the ultimate sustainable material. Victoria Atkinson looks at the clever chemistry that turns trees into sheets
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ResearchWired-up symbiotic multi-organism can turn sunlight and air into valuable proteins
Symbiont could enable microfactories to produce biochemicals for food, farming and drugs