Sustainable plastics containing flame retardants for use in closed-loop applications

New ways for recycling quotas

10-Apr-2025 - The development of high-quality, halogen-free flame retardants (hffr) for recycled plastics to meet increasing recycling quotas is a major challenge. The Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF is looking for partners for the project "hffr-Up2Cycle". The main ...

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Research team challenges the conventional wisdom that perfect fillers are better for making thermally conductive polymers

08-Apr-2025 - In the quest to design the next generation of materials for modern devices – ones that are lightweight, flexible and excellent at dissipating heat – a team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst made a discovery: imperfection has its upsides. This research, published in ...

Shipping of the future: biodegradable antifouling coatings for clean seas

Interdisciplinarity as the key to sustainable material innovation

04-Apr-2025 - More sustainable antifouling coatings for ships are in demand. These innovative solutions should largely dispense with biocides and still withstand the challenges of maritime use. As part of the "BioSHIP" project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) ...

Bio-based polyesters for demanding long-term applications

Making biopolymers fit for long-term use: New project will optimise bio-based materials to compete with petrochemical plastics

28-Mar-2025 - Current bio-based plastics are limited to short-life applications, such as packaging, as they have insufficient long-term properties. The new project "Bio-based polyesters for demanding long-term applications" by Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF aims to ...

The Circular Economy of Plastics: From Bakery Waste to Curlers with a Care Effect

Improving the recycling of plastics and biopolymers

20-Mar-2025 - The circular economy is a key component of a sustainable future. The technology transfer project “TechCirclePolymers” at the Institute for Circular Economy of Bio:Polymers (ibp) at Hof University of Applied Sciences addresses exactly this challenge. The project aims to improve the recycling of ...

Arkema has decided to increase its PVDF capacity by 15% in North America

27-Feb-2025 - A 15% capacity expansion of Arkema’s polyvinylidenfluoride (PVDF) production site in Calvert City, Kentucky, represents an investment of around 20 million US dollars and is aligned with the strategy of the Group to increase its global PVDF footprint at a pace and with capabilities that match ...

Polyurethane with Shape Memory: From Foil to Foam

Isocyanate-free foaming increases occupational safety

24-Feb-2025 - Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP have developed a foil that changes into polyurethane foam (PU foam) when heated – entirely without health risks. The foil allows for isocyanate-free foaming, thus improving workplace safety. Additionally, it offers logistics ...

Recyclable Plastic for the Printer

Polythioenones: a step toward a circular economy for synthetic polymers

17-Feb-2025 - The possibilities for material design and production of plastic components are being expanded through 3D printing technology. However, there is a shortage of recyclable polymers that meet the performance requirements. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a research team has introduced a new class of ...

Breakthrough in conductive polymers

New polymer crystal conducts electricity like a metal

17-Feb-2025 - An international research team, including scientists from the TUD Dresden University of Technology, has developed a breakthrough two-dimensional conducting polymer - a special, ordered form of polyaniline (2DPANI) that demonstrates exceptional electrical conductivity and metallic charge transport ...

Nylon Eaters – Microscopic helpers recycle plastic waste

Bacterium “eats” individual building blocks of different types of nylon and converts them into value-added products

12-Feb-2025 - A team of scientists from the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences – Biotechnology at Forschungszentrum Jülich worked together with the company Novonesis to develop a bacterium that “eats” individual building blocks of different types of nylon and converts them into value-added products. The results ...