Nowadays, production of biodegradable polymers that do not contribute to microplastic burdens is a worldwide environmental challenge, which is going to be overcome through polymer engineering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Kim, et al. at University of Waterloo have investigated highly filled thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) composite systems using a polysaccharide, \u03b1-1,3-glucan, as a renewable and sustainable filler material in their research work entitled as \u201cEngineered polysaccharide alpha-1,3-glucan in highly filled thermoplastic polyurethane systems\u201d, which improved the modulus and strength of TPU.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The \u03b1-1,3-glucan particles were gold-coated by\u00a0Vac Coat magnetron sputter coater<\/strong>\u00a0in order to become observable with scanning electron microscope.<\/p>\n

Vac Coat DSR1<\/a> is a low-cost\u00a0SEM coater<\/strong>\u00a0for deposition of a\u00a0thin film<\/strong>\u00a0of non-oxidizing materials, like gold and silver. Vac Coat also offers high-vacuum sputter coater, DST1, and low and high-vacuum carbon coaters, DCR and DCT, for SEM,\u00a0FESEM<\/strong>\u00a0and TEM imaging.<\/p>\n

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