Polymers articles from across Nature Portfolio

A single monomer can be leveraged to generate polymeric materials with diverse structures or tunable properties and chemical recyclability.

Soft robots inspired by living organisms hold the promise of gentle, adaptable interactions with the natural world, but leave behind persistent waste. Now scientists show a fully compostable robotic system that addresses this limitation by offering durable performance and decomposing safely into the soil at the end of its life.

A fully green printing strategy enables biodegradable and recyclable magnetoresistive sensors made from iron-based materials. By combining sustainability with high low-field sensitivity, the work opens a pathway toward environmentally responsible disposable magnetoelectronics.

Assembling cellulose into hydroplastics through water-enhanced effects remains challenging. Here the authors demonstrate that modulating the polarity by using thioctic acid leads to a reconfigured network with enhanced mechanical properties and reversible adhesion.

High temperature phosphorescence is a useful property, but can be challenging to achieve. Here, the authors report the development of gel materials with high temperature phosphorescence from non-aromatic organic materials, by use of a deep eutectic solvent and wet annealing.

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is emerging as a potential alternative to conventional fossil-based plastics. Here, the authors review BC’ s modification-structure-property relationships, environmental impact, techno-economic analysis, and contributions to promoting a circular economy, highlight BC’s potential as a bioplastic, and discuss its current limitations and viable solutions.

Petroleum-based adhesives are used ubiquitously in daily life and therefore contribute to persistent waste generation. Here the authors synthesize a robust and strong poly(ester amide) adhesive that can be derived from biomass feedstocks and chemically recycled at the end of its life.

Liquid metals can create flexible, conductive composites, but often show a trade-off between these properties. Here, the authors optimise the interactions between liquid-metal and polyurethane to obtain a composite with high thermal conductivity and stretchability at low liquid metal loading.

A single monomer can be leveraged to generate polymeric materials with diverse structures or tunable properties and chemical recyclability.

Adhesives are hard to see when in use, but they force most products to reside in landfills for centuries. Ongoing research is creating opportunities in materials design and market impact, thereby helping society move towards a more sustainable future.

Lignin forms the polyphenolic network in wood that enables trees to stand upright, transport water and ions, and resist microbial attack. Although its structural complexity is often seen as a limitation, its inherent multifunctionality offers opportunities. By strategically harnessing these features, new directions for advanced lignin-based materials can emerge.

Soft robots inspired by living organisms hold the promise of gentle, adaptable interactions with the natural world, but leave behind persistent waste. Now scientists show a fully compostable robotic system that addresses this limitation by offering durable performance and decomposing safely into the soil at the end of its life.

Transparent wood has potential not only as a sustainable substitute for glass, but also as a multifunctional energy material whose value lies in the integration of diffuse light management, thermal insulation, mechanical load bearing and sustainability. Its widespread adoption will require application-driven design, realistic durability assessments and alignment with standards.