Polymers

Charlie Wand uses simulations to study molecules’ behavior

C&EN: Charlie Wand was always going to be a scientist. When he was 4, he would set up “experiments’’ all around the house—things like dishes of water to see which would evaporate first. His mother, a university lecturer in mathematics,…

Amid Hopes and Fears, a Plastics Boom in Appalachia Is On Hold

Yale Environment 360: Karen Gdula lives in the house she grew up in, a modest home on a pretty street in rural western Pennsylvania. Ivy Lane, in her view, is someplace special. “There’s a warmth and a caring,” she said. “We look…

David Smith builds self-assembling nanogels for regenerative medicine

C&EN: For David Smith, a professor of chemistry at the University of York, the personal, political, and professional are inextricably interwoven. As an out gay man leading a team of student researchers, Smith knows that visibility is critical to diversity….

Cheap catalysts recycle polystyrene into valuable products

C&EN: Polystyrene, the polymer commonly used to make foam packaging, insulation, and food containers, is notoriously difficult to recycle. Instead of turning the material into new polystyrene products, breaking it down chemically into more valuable substances could be a more…