All Polymers articles – Page 3
-
-
-
Experiment
Rubber band experiment
A rubber band, a hairdryer, and a curious mind will see students discover the principles of heat based reactions. Includes kit list and safety instruction.
-
Experiment
Making nylon: the ‘nylon rope trick’
The ‘nylon rope trick’ is a classic of chemistry classrooms, by mixing decanedioyl dichloride and in cyclohexane you can create a solution that will form nylon strings when floated on an aqueous solution of 1,6-diaminohexane. Kit list and safety instructions included.
-
Experiment
Cross-linking polymers – alginate worms
With a collection of equipment easy to find in your classroom, learners can form alginate polymer ‘worms’. This practical is a great way to explore cross-linking polymers with students
-
Resource
Chemistry and Sport - football
Materials chemistry has revolutionised the game of football and given us the balls, gloves, and goalposts we play with.
-
News
Castable polymers made from castor beans could replace conventional plastics
Super-tough materials derived from inedible plants are lightweight, renewable and strong enough to use in vehicles
-
Magnificent molecules
Sodium poly(acrylate)
Need some fake snow for your Christmas party? Simply look inside an astronaut’s suit
-
News
’Gas marbles’ surprise with their strength
Robust bubbles of gas encapsulated in a microsphere–liquid shell could trap gases
-
News
Bismuth drug structure solved
After over three centuries of mystery, the structure of bismuth subgallate has finally been uncovered
-
-
-
News
Who says wooden windows wouldn't work?
Scientists in China have turned wood into a transparent material that could be used as a replacement for glass in energy efficient buildings
-
-
Magnificent molecules
Polyethylene terephthalate
Fernando Gomollón-Bel discovers the story of one of the most ubiquitous artificial compounds
-
Resource
Teflon: kitchen science podcasts
Introduce your students to Teflon and the properties of materials with this short podcast.
-
Resource
Chemistry in sport: primary science podcasts
Join Kareena and her superhero friend K-mistry for this short podcast introducing children to how the properties of a material can make them suitable for a particular use.
-
Resource
Smart materials in nappies: primary science podcasts
Join Kareena and her superhero friend K-mistry for this short podcast introducing children to absorbancy and comparing materials on the basis of their properties.
-
-
Resource
Plastics challenge
Links to Practical Action’s plastics challenge, where students develop products from recycled objects, as a possible way of tackling environmental problems caused by plastic waste.
