We know that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger — as Liam Neeson has taught us in almost every movie he’s ever made — but can weaker bonds in polymers actually make the material itself stronger?

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A team of chemists from MIT and Duke University has discovered a counterintuitive way to make polymers stronger: introduce a few weaker bonds into the material. Working with a type of ...

A new strategy for strengthening polymer materials could lead to more durable plastics and cut down on plastic waste, MIT and Duke University researchers report. Cambridge, MA – A new strategy for ...

Research could pave the way to flexible-yet-durable materials that help cut down on microplastic pollution from things like the wear and tear of car tires. DURHAM, N.C. -- When it comes to the ...

Chemists discovered a new way to make polymers stronger: introduce a few weaker bonds into the material. Working with polyacrylate elastomers, they could increase the materials' resistance to tearing ...