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Articles tagged with: ‘plastics‘

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Organic sensors increase light sensitivity of cameras

By Damir Beciri
One Comment4 February 2013

tum-spray-on-coating-organic-sensor-1Analogous to way old camera films recorded light exposition onto photographic film, image sensors in digital camera convert the light from the lens to our digital photos. Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed image sensors that consist of electrically conductive plastics which are more sensitive to light compared to their conventional silicon… »

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Moth-inspired anti-reflective plastics to be commercialized

By Damir Beciri
16 June 2012

imre-anti-reflective-plasticsResearchers from A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and their commercial partners have developed a new plastic able to reflect between 0.09 and 0.2 percent of the visible light hitting its surface. The new plastic developed is also capable to maintain reflectivity lower than 0.7% at angles up to 45˚, thus making it… »

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Researchers find organisms growing within fungi capable to degrade plastics

By Damir Beciri
One Comment6 August 2011

yale-fungus-plasticA group of Yale University undergraduates made an interesting discovery when they went on a field trip to Amazon Rainforest. They discovered organisms growing within fungi in the rainforest which are capable to degrade polyurethane – a finding that may lead to innovative ways used to reduce plastic waste in the growing landfills around the… »

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Dandelion roots could be used as a sustainable natural rubber resource

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments12 May 2011

dandelionsThe Program of Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives (PENRA) was created to focus on research and commercialization of a viable natural rubber alternative, in order to counter the natural rubber supply shortage. Continuing the research, scientists at Ford and the Ohio State University see a species of dandelion as a new sustainable resource for rubber…. »

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Bulk metallic glasses material is strong as steel and moldable as plastic

By Damir Beciri
One Comment6 March 2011

jan-schroers-bmgFor decades, materials scientists have been trying to come up with a substance which could be molded into complex shapes with the same ease and low expense as plastic but without sacrificing the strength and durability of metal. A team of researchers from Yale University came up with such material that would cost about the… »

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Cheaper smart packaging which indicates if the food is going off being developed

By Damir Beciri
21 January 2011

university-of-strathclyde-smart-food-packagingA while ago we wrote an article about the research from Fraunhofer Institute related to active packaging that could prolong the shelf life of food products. Since a research estimates that 8.3 million tons of household food (most of which could have been eaten) is wasted only in the UK each year, a team of… »

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Engineered plants could produce raw material for plastics

By Damir Beciri
15 November 2010

john-shanklin-plastics-from-plantsIn a first step toward achieving industrial-scale green production, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Dow AgroSciences reported engineering a plant that produces industrially relevant levels of compounds that could potentially be used to make plastics. The research is reported online in Plant Physiology, and will appear… »