Researchers discover an alternative to PEG

rPEG as a new type of Poly(ethylene glycol): random chains offer multiple advantages for medical application

28-Jun-2024 - Researchers have discovered a highly promising replacement for polyethylene glycols (or PEGs), which are considered almost indispensable in the pharmaceutical and medical fields. The new substance class called rPEG offers all the advantages of PEGs, while avoiding their drawbacks and has the ...

A path to sustainable and biodegradable polyesters

04-Jun-2018 - There's a good chance you've touched something made out of the polyolefin polymer today. It's often used in polyethylene products like plastic bags or polypropylene products like diapers. As useful as polyolefins are in society, they continue to multiply as trash in the environment. Scientists ...

3-D printing improves cell adhesion and strength of PDMS polymer

25-Jan-2018 - Combining two different polymer forms can switch manufacturing of silicone parts from molding, casting and spin coating of simple forms to 3-D printing of complex geometries with better mechanical characteristics and better biological adhesion, according to a team of Penn State researchers. "So ...

Bio-renewable process could help 'green' plastic

23-Jan-2018 - When John Wesley Hyatt patented the first industrial plastic in 1869, his intention was to create an alternative to the elephant tusk ivory used to make piano keys. But this early plastic also sparked a revolution in the way people thought about manufacturing: What if we weren't limited to the ...

Nanoparticles for 3-D printing in water open door to advanced biomedical materials

03-Aug-2017 - Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have developed a new type of photoinitiator for three-dimensional (3D) printing in water. These novel nanoparticles could allow for the creation of bio-friendly 3D printed structures, further the ...

Sticky when wet

Strong adhesive for wound healing

31-Jul-2017 - Anyone who has ever tried to put on a Band-Aid when their skin is damp knows that it can be frustrating. Wet skin isn't the only challenge for medical adhesives - the human body is full of blood, serum, and other fluids that complicate the repair of numerous internal injuries. Many of the ...

Plastic made of sugar and carbon dioxide

15-Jun-2017 - Some biodegradable plastics could in the future be made using sugar and carbon dioxide, replacing unsustainable plastics made from crude oil, following research by scientists from the Centre for Sustainable Chemical Technologies (CSCT) at the University of Bath. Polycarbonate is used to make ...

Targeting PFOA threat to drinking water

12-Jun-2017 - A highly toxic water pollutant, known as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), last year caused a number of U.S. communities to close their drinking water supplies. Because of its historical use in Teflon production and other industrial processes as well as its environmental persistence, PFOA ...

Algal residue - an alternative carbon resource for pharmaceuticals and polyesters

18-Apr-2017 - Microalgae have received much attention in biomass production due to many strains having a high biomass productivity per unit time and per unit area. Algae produce high levels of oil as well as carbohydrates, occurring mainly in the form of starch. They can survive in unfavorable, nutrient ...

Triple-threat cancer-fighting polymer capsules for guided drug delivery created

04-Apr-2017 - Chemists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have designed triple-threat cancer-fighting polymer capsules that bring the promise of guided drug delivery closer to preclinical testing. These multilayer capsules show three traits that have been difficult to achieve in a single entity. They ...