Polymers have for very long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much so that examples are available almost ubiquitously. We generally have an impact that leads us to believe that polymers are only plastics employed for packaging, in household objects as well as for making fibres, however, this is the tip with the iceberg.
Polymers are utilized in many applications you may not have thought much about. This site enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and how it has evolved since that time to serve several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have good thing about the versatility of polymers for centuries in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t before the industrial revolution that the polymer industry began to develop. Actually, the birth of polymer science could possibly be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. From the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in to a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland created a resin from two very common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between these chemicals led the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It absolutely was this resin that served being a harbinger to many people with the common polymers that individuals use today. The term “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which assembled means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are made of numerous chemical units called monomers, that are gathered into large molecular chains consisting of 1000s of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, acrylic sheet can be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are those polymers that appear in nature understanding that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several types of natural polymers. Though they are processed to have the product, since the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex it’s essentially a polymer created from isoprene units having a portion of impurities inside.
On this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There exists huge variety of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They are naturally manufactured by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous potential for the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties ideal for high-value medical application including tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as his or her name indicates, are synthesized inside the laboratory or factory by way of a series of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From the functional point of view they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is certainly one such thermoplastic manufactured by the polymerization with the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with 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 items that have a constituent component of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, among others.
A number of the other synthetic polymers that individuals used in our everyday life include Nylons, employed in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, employed in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, employed in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to work with you understand its properties being a synthetic polymer. To find out more, get in touch with us here.
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