Sunlight-activated material turns PFAS in water into harmless fluoride Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a sunlight-activated material that can degrade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, breaking down the pollutant into harmless components, including fluoride. The work is published in the journal Small.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-....sunlight-material-pf

Unlocking new potential for natural gas-based bioplastic production A research team has identified how ethane (C2H6)—a major constituent of natural gas—affects the core metabolic pathways of the obligate methanotroph Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-....potential-natural-ga

AI accelerates development of advanced heat-dissipating polymers A machine learning method developed by researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo, the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and other institutions accurately predicts liquid crystallinity of polymers with 96% accuracy. They screened over 115,000 polyimides and selected six candidates with a high probability of exhibiting liquid crystallinity. Upon successful synthesis and experimental analyses, these liquid crystalline polyimides demonstrated thermal conductivities up to 1.26 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, accelerating the discovery of efficient thermal materials for next-generation electronics.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-....ai-advanced-dissipat

Programmable soft material bends, bounces and absorbs energy on demand Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and their collaborators have created a new class of programmable soft materials that can absorb impacts like never before, while also changing shape when heated.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-....programmable-soft-ma

Nontraditional water sources made viable through membrane design As climate change and population growth place mounting pressure on global water resources, communities around the world are seeking sustainable ways to reclaim water from nontraditional sources such as stormwater, agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater.
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-....nontraditional-sourc