Plastics made from synthetic polymers have already had a huge impact on our lives, but a new area of polymer technology is emerging. Quentin Cooper talks to Professor Brigid Heywood from
Keele University and Dr Paul Taylor from Warwick University about dendrimers- tree-like molecules that can be grown in a laboratory to a precise molecular size and weight. Unlike conventional long-chain polymers, dendrimers have a regular branched structure and can be large or small, organic or inorganic. Their unique, symmetrical structure, scientists believe, means they can be deployed in fields as diverse as gene and drug therapy, or even in light harvesting.
Producer John Watkins. E-MAIL: material.world@bbc.co.uk
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