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Energy squeeze - Northwestern University scientists have turned to squeezed polymers and free radicals in a search for new energy sources. They demonstrated that radicals from compressed polymers generate significant amounts of energy that can power chemical reactions in water. They also discovered that a silicone polymer commonly used in medical implants releases a large quantity of harmful free radicals when the polymer is under only a moderate amount of pressure. Original reference: B. A. Grzybowski, H. Tarik Baytekin and B. Baytekin in Angewandte Chemie, "Mechanoradicals Created in 'Polymeric Sponges' Drive Reactions in Aqueous Media."