Efforts from the California NanoSystems Institutes at UCLA and researchers at UCLA to advance the use of microbes for sustainable production of new plastics has been supported by a $23.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation Materials Innovation Platforms program.
Current synthetic polymers (plastic and its chemical cousin) are used widely now, however they have an extensive negative impact on the environment, which is why these researchers are working to develop new high-performance alternatives to petroleum-based polymers that can be produced sustainably.
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