Search

It is believed that pre-ceramic polymers provide control of the resulting ceramic composition by chemical changes at molecular levels. The polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) technique, which features vacuum impregnation of polymer into a porous part, involves simple and lower cost equipment.

The microscale polymer processing initiative is a cooperative research among industry research groups and eight teams from universities. The project has transformed how polymers are produced commercially and provided an understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and process performance. The results of the initiative are explained.

UK scientists have developed an organic polymer capable of storing three percent hydrogen by weight. The consortium, from the Universities Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester, has created polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) and preliminary hydrogen sorption results are encouraging. Other advantages of the PIM are discussed.

Researchers at Imperial College London, UK, believe that a compostable sugar-based polymer could provide a significant advance on polylactic acid (PLA). There is strong potential for the polymer to be compostable due to the high functionality of the sugar feedstock increasing the hydrophilicity of the materials.

Polyfect is hoping to license a technology which will improve the mechanical quality of polymer products that use functional fillers. The company believes that conventional techniques such as mechanical mixing using single or twin-screw extrusion fail to overcome the agglomeration of the filler particles.

A research team at the University of Leicester, UK, is focusing on polymers that exhibit metallic and semiconductor-like properties. The researchers aim to improve the fundamental understanding and properties of these materials for potential use in microactuators and bio-electrochemical sensors. The mechanisms of ion and solvent transfer are also being studied.

Durham University has produced a polymer that exhibits magnetic properties at room temperature. The details of the polymer are discussed.