Apropos K
Overview: Apropos K
Plastic water bottles may one day fly people cross-country
18/06/2019
A research group led by Washington State University scientists has found a way to turn regular plastic waste products into jet fuel.Yoghurt in plastic tubs
20/05/2019
Light, stable, safe and simple to transport: these were the main requirements that the yoghurt packaging was supposed to satisfy. On 10. May 1963, Meierei-Zentrale Berlin presented its new, square tub made of plastic. In doing so, it pioneered a convenient way to eat yoghurt that had been unknown until then.People recycle more when they know what recyclable waste becomes
17/05/2019
A new study shows that consumers recycle more when they think about how their waste can be transformed into new products. Change the conversation from 'Where does this go?' to 'What does this create?' to increase recycling rates.Synthetic rubber outperforms natural rubber
10/05/2019
Natural rubber from rubber trees is a raw material with a limited supply. Synthetically produced rubber, on the other hand, has not yet been able to match the abrasion behavior of the natural product, rendering it unsuitable for truck tires. But now, for the first time, a new type of synthetic rubber has been developed that achieves 30 to 50 percent less abrasion than natural rubber.Shrink films get a grip (video)
02/05/2019
Many people fondly remember playing with toys known as Shrinky Dinks - sheets of polystyrene plastic with shapes that kids can color, cut out and heat in an oven, where they shrink into thicker pieces of plastic. Now, researchers have repurposed shrink films for an unexpected use: making strong, durable grippers ...Flexible circuits for 3D printing
29/04/2019
A research cooperation between the University of Hamburg and DESY has developed a process suitable for 3D printing that can be used to produce transparent and mechanically flexible electronic circuits. The technique can enable new applications such as printable light-emitting diodes, solar cells or tools with integrated circuits, as the ...Polymers to give early warning signs
24/04/2019
Researchers at the University of Fribourg's Adolphe Merkle Institute (AMI) and Hokkaido University in Japan have developed a method to tailor the properties of stress-indicating molecules that can be integrated into polymers and signal damages or excessive mechanical loads with an optical signal.“Molecular Scissors” for Plastic Waste
12/04/2019
A research team from the University of Greifswald and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has solved the molecular structure of an important enzyme (MHETase) at the synchrotron radiation source BESSY II. MHETase was discovered in bacteria and, together with a second enzyme – PETase –, is able to break down the widely used plastic PET into its basic building blocks.129 birthday of polymer pioneer Fritz Klatte
28/03/2019
Fritz Klatte, one of the pioneers of plastics chemistry, was Born on 28. March 1880. The patents he obtained in 1912 and 1913 formed the basis for the first thermoplastic polymers, particularly polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Klatte did not live to experience their global success – his death at the age of 53 meant that others enjoyed the benefits of his research and that his reputation faded at times.110 years ago: windscreen wiper patent for Prince Henry of Prussia
24/03/2018
If it did not exist already, it would need to be invented – the windscreen wiper. When cars still had to manage without windscreen wipers, frustrated drivers all over the world racked their brains trying to come up with a way to make it easier to see the road ahead in rainy weather and when the windscreen was dirty. So plenty of different people can claim to have invented the windscreen wiper. ...