Polymers have for lengthy been a fundamental piece of our everyday lives so much in fact that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We generally an impression which leads us to think that polymers are simply just plastics useful for packaging, in household objects as well as making fibres, however this is only the tip in the iceberg.
Polymers are used in many applications you may not have thought much about. This website enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and the way it’s got evolved since to offer several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have advantage of the flexibility of polymers for years and years available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been before industrial revolution how the polymer industry developed. The truth is, the birth of polymer science may be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. In 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 created a resin from two quite typical chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between those two chemicals led the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served as a harbinger to many people in the common polymers that individuals use today. The phrase “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which put together means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of numerous chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains composed of a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, acrylic sheet might be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that happen in nature and that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of instances of natural polymers. Though they are processed to find the end product, because the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is actually a polymer produced from isoprene units having a tiny proportion of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers can also be significant. There is huge variety of biopolymers for example polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They may be naturally produced by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes means for enormous risk of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application for example tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as his or her name indicates, are synthesized within the laboratory or factory by way of a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional standpoint they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one such thermoplastic produced by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly known as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a variety of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is employed extensively within the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products which have a very constituent component of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
A number of the other synthetic polymers that individuals use in our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is glad to assist you to understand its properties as a synthetic polymer. To learn more, find us here.
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