Materials and technologies – January 2026

Bye Bye BPA?
A study (2.48 MB) published in Nature Sustainability presents a promising route towards a bio-based bisphenol that might replace the current widely used BPA. The invention was partly driven by molecular toxicology research conducted at Stockholm University and SciLifeLab.

Robots and AI accelerate bio-based revolution at Radboud University
Chemical products such as medicines, plastics, soap, and paint are still often based on fossil raw materials. In the drive for a ‘materials transition’ to products made from bio-based raw material, faster and more efficient identification and creation of promising materials is a key success factor. Researchers at Radboud University are using robots and AI for this purpose.

Rutgers University into self-destructing plastics
Researchers at Rutgers University have shown a new way of creating degradable plastics. The process can be likened to folding a piece of paper so it tears easily along the crease. By “pre-folding” the structure, the plastic can break apart thousands of times faster than normal. Even though the plastic is easier to break when activated, its basic chemical makeup stays the same, so it remains strong and useful until the moment the user wants it to degrade.

Safe and sustainable by design-compliant LDPE fights insect pests
An extensive JRC research project on protecting food against pest has shown interesting results. Advanced low density polyethylene (LDPE) film is used, embedding a multicomponent nanomaterial (MCNM), consisting of bentonite nanoclays and clove essential oil (BNT–CEO), designed to repel beetles. Read the all results here.

Can we get satisPHAction at scale?
The new SATISPHACTION project will use computational chemistry, AI, and modelling techniques to simulate and design PHA polymers with bespoke properties. By knitting together individual chains of hydrocarbons with key attributes such as decomposability and stability, the aim is to create credible polymer plastic candidates that are both biodegradable and can be produced at scale.

A biodegradable smart sensor to monitor sensitive goods
Researchers from EPFL, Empa, and CSEM have developed a fully compostable smart sensing tag that can be used to signal when shipments of medicines or food have exceeded a safe threshold temperature.

New cellulose-derived plastic is fully dissolvable in salty water
Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan report on a study (abstract) published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society demonstrating a new type of plastic made from plant cellulose and capable of rapid decomposition in natural (salty water) environments.

AI-assisted migration barrier prediction for paper food packaging
Paper packaging is a bio-based alternative to petrol-derived plastic. However, oxygen and (other) undesirable substances such as solvents can migrate through the packaging material. Extensive testing is needed for each type of paper to determine to what extent and how quickly this happens. A TU Graz research team now shows an AI-based prediction system that swiftly finds how permeable different types of paper are to volatile organic substances.
 

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