Super absorbent polymers (SAPs) have quietly become one of the most influential material innovations of the modern era. Known ...

Shiseido has been granted a patent for a water-in-oil emulsion cosmetic that provides a replenishing and smooth feel, while minimizing the appearance of skin roughness and discoloration. The cosmetic ...

From carbon nanotubes to sawdust and cellulose to fern-inspired nano-hair, a multitude of materials are showing great promise for cleaning up oil spills. Now researchers have turned to waste products ...

Engineers find the hydrogel polyethylene glycol (PEG) doubles its water absorption as temperatures climb from 25 to 50 C, and could be useful for passive cooling or water harvesting in warm climates.

Have you seen online videos of the water-absorbing polymer orbs (often sold under the brand name Orbeez)? At first glance, the transparent orbs appear nearly invisible when placed in water, but are ...

'Hairy' nanoparticles made with light-sensitive materials that assemble themselves could one day become 'nano-carriers' providing doctors a new way to simultaneously introduce both therapeutic drugs ...

Every evening during the summer of 2020, Xingyi Zhou went up to the roof of her lab building at the University of Texas at Austin to check on two plastic boxes containing radish plants. Plants in one ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A 9-month-old boy is recovering from surgery after accidentally swallowing water beads while at daycare. Water beads are colorful beads made of water and water-absorbing polymer ...

The vast majority of absorbent materials will lose their ability to retain water as temperatures rise. This is why our skin starts to sweat and why plants dry out in the heat. Even materials that are ...