Polymers have for long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives because of this that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We generally the feeling that leads us to trust that polymers are merely plastics employed for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however this is just the tip from the iceberg.
Polymers are employed in many applications you might not have thought much about. This blog enlightens you in regards to the story behind polymers and how it has evolved from the time for everyone several functions across a number of industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans took benefit from the versatility of polymers since way back when by means of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not before the industrial revolution the polymer industry began to develop. Actually, the birth of polymer science might be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. Within the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization process that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed a resin from two common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between those two chemicals led the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It absolutely was this resin that served as a harbinger to many people from the common polymers that people use today. The word “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of many chemical units called monomers, which are gathered into large molecular chains composed of 1000s of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On such basis as their origin, polymer resin might be regarded as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the type polymers that happen in nature and that which are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of samples of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to find the end product, since the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex it’s essentially a polymer created from isoprene units having a portion of impurities within it.
Within this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There is large number of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally manufactured by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous prospect of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application including tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, his or her name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory via a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. In the functional perspective they are often classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is but one such thermoplastic manufactured by the polymerization from the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties into a number of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is employed extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer goods that have a constituent component of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
Many of the other synthetic polymers that people used in our everyday life include Nylons, employed in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, employed in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, employed in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you understand its properties as a synthetic polymer. To understand more, reach out to us here.
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