Neutron scattering study points the way to more powerful lithium batteries
An international team of scientists has found a way to improve battery design that could produce safer, more powerful lithium batteries.
Apr 16, 2024
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An international team of scientists has found a way to improve battery design that could produce safer, more powerful lithium batteries.
Apr 16, 2024
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Skoltech researchers have demonstrated that reinforced plastics can be recycled without loss of original mechanical properties, sometimes even with improved characteristics. Published in Composites Communications, the study ...
Mar 14, 2024
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University of Waterloo researchers have created a new technology that can remove harmful nanoplastics from contaminated water with 94% efficiency. The study, "Utilization of epoxy thermoset waste to produce activated carbon ...
Mar 14, 2024
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A research team led by Professor Seok Ju Kang in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has unveiled a technique for mass-producing polymer solid electrolytes, crucial components in batteries. Their paper ...
Mar 8, 2024
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Metals can be processed into wires by cold forming—an extremely complex process. However, the lubricants needed for this often do not meet the requirements of the end processors.
Mar 7, 2024
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Lithium-metal batteries, which contain anodes based on metallic lithium, are promising rechargeable batteries that could help to meet the growing demands of the electronics industry. These batteries have various advantages, ...
A novel approach to address environmental challenges is developing and commercializing robust hydrogen fuel cells. These cells contain a polymer electrolyte membrane that serves as a barrier between the electrodes (the conductors ...
Feb 6, 2024
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At present, the energy density of commercial lithium-ion batteries has been approaching the limit. Liquid lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are favored for their high-energy-density (>500 Wh kg−1), but commercialization is ...
Jan 30, 2024
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Organic mixed ionic–electronic conductors (OMIECs) are a highly sought-after class of materials for non-conventional applications, such as bioelectronics, neuromorphic computing, and bio-fuel cells, due to their two-in-one ...
Jan 22, 2024
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Researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, have developed a new, more environmentally friendly way to create conductive inks for use in organic electronics such as solar cells, artificial neurons, and soft sensors. The ...
Jan 22, 2024
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A polymer (from Greek πολύ-ς /po΄li-s/ much, many and μέρος /΄meros/ part) is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. While polymer in popular usage suggests plastic, the term actually refers to a large class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties.
Due to the extraordinary range of properties accessible in polymeric materials , they have come to play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life - from plastics and elastomers on the one hand to natural biopolymers such as DNA and proteins that are essential for life on the other. A simple example is polyethylene, whose repeating unit is based on ethylene (IUPAC name ethene) monomer. Most commonly, as in this example, the continuously linked backbone of a polymer consists mainly of carbon atoms. However, other structures do exist; for example, elements such as silicon form familiar materials such as silicones, examples being silly putty and waterproof plumbing sealant. The backbone of DNA is in fact based on a phosphodiester bond, and repeating units of polysaccharides (e.g. cellulose) are joined together by glycosidic bonds via oxygen atoms.
Natural polymeric materials such as shellac, amber, and natural rubber have been in use for centuries. Biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids play crucial roles in biological processes. A variety of other natural polymers exist, such as cellulose, which is the main constituent of wood and paper.
The list of synthetic polymers includes synthetic rubber, Bakelite, neoprene, nylon, PVC, polystyrene, polyacrylonitrile, PVB, silicone, and many more.
Polymers are studied in the fields of polymer chemistry, polymer physics, and polymer science.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA