Polymers have for too long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much so that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We have an impression that leads us to imagine that polymers are only plastics useful for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however is just the tip in the iceberg.
Polymers are widely-used in all sorts of applications you may not have thought much about. This web site enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and how it has evolved ever since to serve several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have taken advantage of the flexibility of polymers for years and years by means of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been before industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science could be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber right into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland designed a resin from two quite typical chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between these chemicals led the way to add mass to a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It had been this resin that served as being a harbinger to many in the common polymers that people use today. The term “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which assembled means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are made of several chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains made up of a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, sumitomo chemical asia can be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the types polymers that happen in nature understanding that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several instances of natural polymers. Though they are processed to get the result, since the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are referred to as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is basically a polymer produced from isoprene units having a tiny proportion of impurities inside it.
On this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There exists vast number of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally manufactured by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous possibility of the biotechnological creation of biopolymers with tailored properties well suited for high-value medical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, for their name indicates, are synthesized inside the laboratory or factory via a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional point of view they are often classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is but one such thermoplastic manufactured by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties to a number of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is utilized extensively inside the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer goods that use a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and the like.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that people used in our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to work with you understand its properties as being a synthetic polymer. To know more, find us here.
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