Polymers have for long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives because of this that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We generally an effect leading us to imagine that polymers are merely plastics employed for packaging, in household objects as well as for making fibres, however is only the tip of the iceberg.
Polymers are employed in all sorts of applications you may not have thought much about. This site enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and just how it’s evolved ever since to offer several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have advantage of the versatility of polymers for hundreds of years in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been prior to the industrial revolution that this polymer industry started to realize. The truth is, the birth of polymer science could be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. From 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 designed a resin from two quite normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between those two chemicals led the way to add mass to a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served being a harbinger to numerous of the common polymers we use today. The saying “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which put together means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of several chemical units called monomers, which can be joined together into large molecular chains comprising a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, pmma plastic may be considered synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the type polymers that happen in nature understanding that which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a few examples of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to obtain the end result, since basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex is basically a polymer produced from isoprene units with a tiny proportion of impurities inside it.
On this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There is vast number of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They’re naturally produced by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous possibility 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 in the laboratory or factory via a number of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional point of view they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic produced by the polymerization of the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often called acrylic plastic and lends its properties to some selection of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is used extensively in the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer items that have a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers we use within 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 satisfied to help you out in understanding its properties being a synthetic polymer. To know more, reach out to us here.
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