The P F Frankland Memorial Lecture. "Redesigning the World of Plastics"
Polymers are all around us - in the food we eat, clothes we wear, and cars we drive. Hence, we are living in the age of polymers, and indeed polymers are the material of today's society. But polymers are a 20th century concept - the first synthetic polymer, Bakelite, was prepared in 1907. Following this discovery, the low cost, durability, safety, and scalability of polymers have led to their ever-expanding development and use throughout society. However, this rapid and uncontrolled growth in polymer production has led to a polymers problem in today's society. But why do we have a problem? Is there anything that we can do? In my lecture I will share with you some approaches polymer scientists have taken, which are inspired by Nature, to solve these problems.
Polymers are all around us - in the food we eat, clothes we wear, and cars we drive. Hence, we are living in the age of polymers, and indeed polymers are the material of today's society. But polymers are a 20th century concept - the first synthetic polymer, Bakelite, was prepared in 1907. Following this discovery, the low cost, durability, safety, and scalability of polymers have led to their ever-expanding development and use throughout society. However, this rapid and uncontrolled growth in polymer production has led to a polymers problem in today's society. But why do we have a problem? Is there anything that we can do? In my lecture I will share with you some approaches polymer scientists have taken, which are inspired by Nature, to solve these problems.
