Polymers are either natural or synthetic macromolecules composed of many repeating units (monomers) usually arranged in the form of a chain. Examples of polymers are silk, rubber, silicone ...

Most commonly, as in this example, the continuously linked backbone of a polymer consists mainly of carbon atoms. However, other structures do exist; for example, elements such as silicon form ...

‘Thermo’ indicates that heat will be involved in the way the polymer is shaped, and ‘set’ means that once the polymer has been set in that shape, heat will not alter the form ...

Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have discovered that bacterial cells growing in a solution of polymers, such as mucus, form long cables that buckle and twist on each other, building a ...