February 28, 2003

One Word: Plastics

By LILA GUTERMAN

A group of researchers defies wisdom with polymer blends

Last fall, researchers from Rutgers University waded chest-deep into the waters of New Jersey's Mullica River to build a bridge. Over the course of eight weeks, they spent two days a week wrestling 200-pound sections into place.

The 56-foot-long, one-lane bridge held special meaning for them: It was the world's first all-plastic bridge, and they had invented the material that made up the "lumber." The polymer blend they

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