Optical measurement of forces in plastics

Fascinating "molecular springs": research team develops dyes that quantitatively indicate stresses in plastics

07-Nov-2024 - Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Michael Sommer, Chair of Polymer Chemistry at Chemnitz University of Technology, a research team has succeeded in constructing various dye molecules from the field of so-called mechanophores and using them to quantitatively display molecular stresses. With the ...

New procedure for better thermoplastics

New insights thanks to nano imaging and spectroscopy at the IRIS beamline of BESSY II

06-Nov-2024 - Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to ...

How much microplastic are you drinking?

New tool can tell you in minutes

29-Aug-2024 - Micro- and nanoplastics are in our food, water and the air we breathe. They are showing up in our bodies, from testicles to brain matter. Now, University of British Columbiaresearchers have developed a low-cost, portable tool to accurately measure plastic released from everyday sources like ...

Quantitative molecular characterization of polyolefin recyclates

13-Aug-2024 - Polyolefin waste is largely only recycled thermally. Material downcycling dominates here. From an economic and legislative point of view, more upcycling, i.e. the use in product categories of equal or higher value, is urgently required. However, information on the molecular structure of ...

Understanding microplastics - with high-speed cameras

How microplastic particles spread in the ocean depends on microscopic details

07-Aug-2024 - Microplastics are a global problem: they end up in rivers and oceans, accumulate in living organisms and disrupt entire ecosystems. How tiny particles behave in a current is difficult to describe scientifically - especially in the case of thin fibers, which make up more than half of the ...

Recyclates: Recycled Materials as the Next Step Towards Increased Sustainability for High-End Laboratory Consumables

Disposable racks made from contact lens production leftovers

09-Jul-2024 - In life science laboratories, where precision and purity are non-negotiable, the demand for environmentally friendly solutions is now higher than it has ever been. Laboratories are grappling with the environmental impact of their activities, and they are aware that the ever-increasing demand for ...

Harmful substances in soft plastic lures: Risks for anglers and the environment

Harmful phthalates and endocrine disruptors are released from common soft plastic baits

04-Jul-2024 - Soft plastic lures are increasingly being used in recreational angling worldwide. Their loss in the environment has raised concerns among anglers and environmentalists regarding possible environmental and health risks. A study on the potential effects of soft plastic lures on the environment and ...

How micro- and nanoplastics are infiltrating the Arctic ice

Environmental scientist Alice Pradel cultivates ice cores in the lab to investigate the transport and accumulation of micro-​ and nanoplastics

26-Mar-2024 - “Beat the Microbead” is the name of a campaign launched in 2012 with the aim of reducing the use of microplastics in cosmetic products in order to minimise negative effects on the environment and people. For Alice Pradel, the campaign was a wake-​up call. “As a young environmental scientist, I ...

Combined microscopy technique catches light-driven polymers in the act

Researchers combine high-speed atomic force microscopy with a laser light source for real-time observation of azo-polymer films

13-Mar-2024 - Expanding our scientific understanding often comes down to getting as close a look as possible at what is happening. Now researchers from Japan have observed the nanoscale behavior of azo-polymer films while triggering them with laser light. In a study published last month in Nano Letters the ...

Bottled water can contain hundreds of thousands of previously uncounted tiny plastic bits

A new microscopic technique zeroes in on the poorly explored world of nanoplastics, which can pass into blood, cells and your brain

11-Jan-2024 - In recent years, there has been rising concern that tiny particles known as microplastics are showing up basically everywhere on Earth, from polar ice to soil, drinking water and food. Formed when plastics break down into progressively smaller bits, these particles are being consumed by humans ...