Polymers have for lengthy been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much in fact that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We generally an impression which leads us to imagine that polymers are only plastics useful for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however is simply the tip of the iceberg.
Polymers are employed in all sorts of applications you might not have thought much about. This website enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and just how it has evolved ever since to provide several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have benefit of the versatility of polymers for centuries by means of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not prior to the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. In fact, the birth of polymer science could possibly be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. From 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 created resin from two quite normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between both of these 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 a lot of of the common polymers that people use today. The phrase “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which put together means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are made of countless chemical units called monomers, which can be joined together into large molecular chains comprising a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, thermoplastic resin may be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are those polymers that happen in nature and that which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of types of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to obtain the end product, because the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is actually a polymer created from isoprene units which has a small percentage of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers can also be significant. There is certainly vast number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They are naturally created by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes method for enormous possibility of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties well suited for high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as their name indicates, are synthesized within the laboratory or factory via a series of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional standpoint they are often classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is but one such thermoplastic created by the polymerization of the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly known 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 within 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, and the like.
Many of the other synthetic polymers that people use in our everyday life include Nylons, found in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, found in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, found in pipes.
Being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to help you out in understanding its properties as a synthetic polymer. To know more, get in touch with us here.
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