New milestone for lithium metal batteries

POSTECH, KIER, and POSCO N.EX.T HUB develops porous structures for lithium metal batteries

29-May-2024 - Just as road signs provide directions and distances to help travelers avoid getting lost, "signposts" guide people in specific situations. In the field of chemistry, structures that serve a similar purpose have recently been discovered and are drawing significant academic interest. Professor ...

Novel hydrogel removes microplastics from water

The material has a unique intertwined polymer network that can bind the contaminants and degrade them using UV light irradiation

16-Apr-2024 - Microplastics pose a great threat to human health. These tiny plastic debris can enter our bodies through the water we drink and increase the risk of illnesses. They are also an environmental hazard; found even in remote areas like polar ice caps and deep ocean trenches, they endanger aquatic and ...

New starchy bioplastic could make soggy paper straws a thing of the past

08-Mar-2023 - In the fight against pollution, several regions in the U.S. have banned the use of plastic straws. Alternative materials exist, but most options are either too expensive to scale up, go limp in drinks or taste bad. But now, a team reporting in ACS Omega has developed a new type of bioplastic film ...

Degradation of Plastic Waste using newly Developed Biocatalysts

Breakthrough in polyurethane and polyvinyl alcohol recycling

13-Feb-2023 - The plastic materials polyurethane and polyvinyl alcohol can now be degraded under mild conditions with the help of enzymes as biocatalysts. Scientists from the University of Greifswald have developed corresponding methods together with the German company Covestro and teams from Leipzig and ...

Weak hydrogen bonds key to strong, tough infrastructure

31-Jan-2018 - The right mix of hydrogen bonds in polymer and cement composites is critical to making strong, tough and ductile infrastructure material, according to Rice University scientists who want to mimic the mechanics of mother-of-pearl and similar natural composites with synthetic materials. Seashells ...

Boron nitride foam soaks up carbon dioxide

Scientists lead effort to make novel 3-D material

18-Aug-2017 - Rice University materials scientists have created a light foam from two-dimensional sheets of hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) that absorbs carbon dioxide. They discovered freeze-drying h-BN turned it into a macro-scale foam that disintegrates in liquids. But adding a bit of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ...

Flexible supercapacitor raises bar for volumetric energy density

Could be woven into clothes to power wearable medical, communications devices

13-May-2014 - Scientists have taken a large step toward making a fiber-like energy storage device that can be woven into clothing and power wearable medical monitors, communications equipment or other small electronics. The device is a supercapacitor—a cousin to the battery. This one packs an interconnected ...

Kuraray to Establish a New PVOH Resin Production Facility in the United States

Expanding the Vinyl Acetate Chemical Business on a Global Scale

06-Jun-2012 - Kuraray Co., Ltd. announced the establishment of a new PVOH (Polyvinyl Alcohol) resin production facility at its U.S. subsidiary Kuraray America, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary in Houston, Texas). The establishment of this new facility is in line with the Kuraray Group’s global strategies for ...

Kuraray Co., Ltd. Acquires MonoSol, LLC

24-May-2012 - Kuraray Co., Ltd. and MonoSol, LLC announced that Kuraray has agreed to acquire MonoSol, a market-leading manufacturer of water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films. This acquisition by Kuraray supports its strategy to expand its Vinyl Acetate Chemical Chain Business. Terms of the transaction ...

WACKER POLYMERS to Raise Prices For Dispersible Polymer Powders, Dispersions and Polyvinyl Alcohol Solutions

27-Apr-2012 - WACKER POLYMERS is to raise its prices for dispersible polymer powders globally, as well as for dispersions and polyvinyl alcohol solutions in Europe. Effective June 1, 2012, prices for vinyl acetate-, vinyl chloride- and acrylic-based dispersible polymer powders of the VINNAPAS® brand will be ...