As in case of many plastic applications, Europe could be losing out in the race for the huge new business of printed electronics and its revolutionary impact on society to Asia. The continent may not be successful in countering this shift to Asia, despite having many more academic institutions and corporations working on the subject. Read more in Asia is marching ahead in the business of printed electronics

The Indian petrochemical industry is poised for a healthy double digit growth from 2006-2011. This is higher than the current 3-4% growth rate, and is expected to translate into investments of US$12-15 bln for the industry. Read more in Indian petrochemical sector poised to grow at over 10% from 2006 to 2011

Polypropylene will consolidate its position and will remain the top polyolefin until 2010. PP is one of the fastest growing polymers in the World, growth of which can be attributed to increasing applications of PP in food packaging and auto component markets, along with the existing wider application range. To know more about the growth areas, applications, growing regions, read Healthy global Polypropylene consumption expected to cross 50 million tons by 2010

Static problems associated with thin films cause processing problems in manufacture as well as use in the converting industry. These problems also adversely affect performance during usage. To achieve long term performance, anti static characteristics should remain during the entire life span of the product. However, conventional anti static agents provide solutions that are temporary. Read about a new agent in Permanent anti static agent provides long lasting performance

Dual advantages of low cost and insulating properties make polystyrene a widely used material for food packaging. However, regulatory and consumer pressures to reduce the impact of packaging waste have, in recent years, coerced processors to seek more environmental-friendly alternatives as conventional polystyrene containers can take hundreds of years to break down. A new approach has been developed that involves embedding water-absorbing resin particles throughout a chemical like styrene before it is polymerized. When it comes in contact with water, the material biodegrades. For details about the process, read A novel approach to make polystyrene biodegradable

The mechanical properties of bucky tube like stiffness, strength, toughness, thermal and electrical properties will enable it to find application in innumerable future technologies, along with a whole host of applications including batteries, fuel cells, fibers, cables, pharmaceutics and biomedical materials. To know more about the fantastic properties of the material, read Bucky tube is poised to become a fantastic additive for polymer composites