New chemistry could make it easier to design materials to order

A new technique developed at Imperial College London could lead to the next generation of tailor-made materials. Researchers have developed a method of controlling the composition of a range of polymers, the large molecules that are commonly used as plastics and fibres. These materials are the building blocks for a vast number of everyday materials. Polymers are naturally occurring, for example as complex sugars and DNA. The molecules comprise thousands of repeat units of smaller molecules called monomers. The nature and organisation of these monomers within the polymer chain determines the material's properties, such as how strong or stretchy it is, or how much heat it can withstand. Our research..