Polymers have for too long been a fundamental piece of our everyday lives a case in point that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally an impression leading us to believe that polymers are only plastics used for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however is only the tip with the iceberg.
Polymers are employed in many applications you will possibly not have thought much about. This website enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and just how they have evolved since to offer several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have got benefit from the versatility of polymers for centuries in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t before the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. In reality, the birth of polymer science could possibly be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. Inside the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization procedure that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber right into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed a resin from two common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between these two chemicals led the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It absolutely was this resin that served like a harbinger to a lot of with the common polymers we use today. The word “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of countless chemical units called monomers, that happen to be joined together into large molecular chains consisting of a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, acrylic glass might be regarded as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that happen in nature and that that happen to be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of examples of natural polymers. Though they are processed to obtain the product, because the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is basically a polymer produced from isoprene units which has a small percentage of impurities within it.
With this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There exists huge variety of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous prospect of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, his or her name indicates, are synthesized in the laboratory or factory by having a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From the functional viewpoint they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic made by the polymerization with the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often known as acrylic plastic and lends its properties into a various consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic can be used extensively in the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products that have a very constituent portion of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, among others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers we used in our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to work with you in understanding its properties like a synthetic polymer. To know more, contact us here.
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