Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse range of solid forms.

Aug 2, 2025 · plastic, polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.

6 days ago · Plastics: all around us and inside us Published: August 20, 2025 12:13pm EDT Plastic is one of the most remarkable materials ever created. It’s cheap, lightweight and endlessly versatile.

May 16, 2022 · What are plastics? We talk about "plastic" as though it's a single material, but there are in fact many different plastics. What they have in common is that they're plastic, …

Nov 21, 2024 · Plastic products are generally versatile, durable and lightweight. Plastic products are prominent in the construction, transportation, and packaging industries. Plastic innovations contributed to many life-saving products that revolutionized the health care industry.

Apr 22, 2025 · Plastic coverage from Scientific American, featuring news and articles about advances in the field.

In this article, we'll examine the chemistry of plastic, how it's made, how it's used, and how it's disposed of and recycled. We'll also look at some new biologically based plastics and their role in the future of plastic.

Plastic is a versatile material used to make thousands of products people use every day. Learn about the types of plastic classification, history and unique chemistry that gives plastic its variety of uses and applications.

Oct 19, 2023 · From polymers to nurdles, learn how plastic is created and what we can do to slow the lasting repercussions this material will have on both our planet and our lives.

May 15, 2018 · Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge. The world of plastic contains many confusing terms, as we discovered while reporting …