Polymers have for very long been a fundamental piece of our everyday lives so much in fact that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impression leading us to trust that polymers are simply plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, but this is the tip in the iceberg.
Polymers are used in many applications you do not have thought much about. This blog enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and exactly how they have evolved since to offer several functions across a host of industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have taken advantage of the versatility of polymers since way back when in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been before industrial revolution the polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science could be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization process that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland designed a resin from two quite normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between both of 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 individuals use today. The saying “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of many chemical units called monomers, which can be joined together into large molecular chains composed of a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Based on their origin, acrylic glass may be regarded as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the types polymers that happen in nature and that which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several instances of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to obtain the result, since basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex is essentially a polymer made from isoprene units having a tiny proportion of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There is vast number of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous possibility of the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties ideal for high-value medical application including tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, for their name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory via a number of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From your functional perspective they are often classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one such thermoplastic made by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is usually 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 utilized extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products which have a constituent component of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that individuals use in our everyday life include Nylons, found in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, found in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, found in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to assist you understand its properties as being a synthetic polymer. To understand more, get in touch with us here.
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