polymerguru

 BMW CEO backs hydrogen as Europe’s strategic opportunity - but says all tech must stay on the table 🇩🇪🚙⚡️ BMW Group CEO Oliver Zipse has doubled down on the firm’s long-standing multi-tech strategy, telling investors that “there is no single answer” to decarbonising the car. Speaking during the company’s half-year results call, he argued that hydrogen could offer Europe a vital industrial advantage in the transition to net zero - and warned that dependence on a single drivetrain technology could ultimately damage the industry. “Hydrogen, for example, offers Europe an opportunity to use our expertise and take the lead on an emerging technology that will contribute to our climate goals,” Zipse said. “And, unlike BEVs, without the need for large amounts of raw materials or battery technology which are not localisable at large scale in Europe.” It’s not a new message from BMW, but it comes at a time of growing tension in European industrial and transport policy, with critics warnin...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Graphene Classification Framework now published as an ISO Technical Specification! After much hard work over several years and input from more than 100 subject matter experts, the Graphene Classification Framework has now been officially published as an ISO Technical Specification: ISO/TS 9651:2025 (https://lnkd.in/eMhSSakk) Nanotechnologies — Classification framework for graphene‐related 2D materials This document specifies the characteristics and their respective measurement methods of graphene-related 2D materials in sheet and particle forms for commercial applications. The classification framework includes: a)      relevant material characteristics for commercial use; b)      identification of applicable measurement methods; c)      a range of the characteristic measured values when applicable; d)      syntax to guide consistent naming and d...

Scientists often seek new materials derived from polymers. Rather than starting a polymer search from scratch, they save time and money by blending existing polymers to achieve desired properties. But identifying the best blend is a thorny problem. Not only is there a practically limitless number of potential combinations, but polymers interact in complex ways, so the properties of a new blend are challenging to predict. To accelerate the discovery of new materials, MIT researchers developed a fully autonomous experimental platform that can efficiently identify optimal polymer blends. The closed-loop workflow uses a powerful algorithm to explore a wide range of potential polymer blends, feeding a selection of combinations to a robotic system that mixes chemicals and tests each blend. Based on the results, the algorithm decides which experiments to conduct next, continuing the process until the new polymer meets the user’s goals. During experiments, the system autonomously identified hu...

ITOCHU Corporation today announced the launch of a joint demonstration project for cellulose nanofiber (CNF) reinforced plastic logistics containers in collaboration with FamilyMart Co., Ltd. SANKO Co., Ltd. , and the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University (headquartered in Uji, Kyoto; Mamoru Yamamoto, Director; hereinafter “Kyoto University”). The pilot demonstration project has already been selected for the FY2025 Cellulose-based Circular Economy Business Demonstration Project by Shizuoka Prefecture. This initiative will run for approximately six months from August 2025 at about 80 FamilyMart stores in Shizuoka to verify the performance of CNF-reinforced plastic containers. CNF is produced from sustainably sourced wood and imparts high-performance characteristics such as strength and recyclability. Although the global CNF market size was estimated at only 6 billion yen in 2024, it is expected to see significant growth as a sustainable biomass-...

Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Boiler Works, a full subsidiary of Shanghai Electric, specializing in energy conversion and the development of new energy applications, to jointly foster innovation in sustainable energy solutions. The partners will combine their expertise to advance green energy projects in China. The agreement is the result of close and successful cooperation in Shanghai Electric’s new biomass-to-green methanol plant in Taonan, Jilin Province, China. In addition to supplying its MegaMax catalysts, Clariant provided technical on-site support during the successful startup of the 50,000 tons/y plant. The second phase of the project, with a capacity of 200,000 tons/y green methanol and 10,000 tons/y SAF, is expected to start production in 2027. The ceremony for the official signing of the partnership contract took place last week at the Clariant Innovation Cent...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share This new colorful plastic shines without dyes or pigments Plastics are one of the largest sources of pollution on Earth, lasting for years on land or in water. But a new type of brilliantly colored cellulose-based plastic detailed in ACS Nano could change that. By adding citric acid and squid ink to a cellulose-based polymer, researchers created a variety of structurally colored plastics that were comparable in strength to traditional plastics, but made from natural biodegradable ingredients and easily recycled using water. Many plastics are dyed using specialized colorants, which can make these materials hard to recycle using typical processes. Over time, dyes can fade or leach into the environment, posing risks to wildlife. One way to make these colorants largely unnecessary could be a phenomenon called structural color. This occurs when tiny structures in a material reflect certain wavelengths of light rather than a dye or pigment molecule. Stru...