A New Polymer Phase (IMAGE) Brown University Caption Treating polylactic acid, a commonly used polymer material, with heat and pressure creates crystals and causes polymer strands to become more organized. Those changes could make the material more useful in medical applications. Credit Mathiowitz lab / Brown University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.