Polymers have for long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally an impression which leads us to think that polymers are simply just plastics used for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however, this is the tip with the iceberg.
Polymers are utilized in many applications you might not have thought much about. This site enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and how it’s evolved since that time to provide several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have advantage of the versatility of polymers for years and years available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not before the industrial revolution how the polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science may be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. Inside the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization procedure 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 these chemicals paved the way to add mass to a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served like a harbinger to many with the common polymers that individuals use today. The term “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are made of many chemical units called monomers, that happen to be joined together into large molecular chains comprising a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, acrylic glass might be viewed as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the type polymers that happen in nature which that happen to be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several types of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to obtain the end result, since basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex is essentially a polymer produced from isoprene units with a portion of impurities within it.
In this context, biopolymers can also be significant. There is certainly vast number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally produced by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes method for enormous risk of the biotechnological creation of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as his or her name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory through a series of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. In the functional standpoint they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is certainly one such thermoplastic produced by the polymerization with the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly generally known as acrylic plastic and lends its properties into a variety of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic can be used extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer items that use a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and others.
A few of the other synthetic polymers that individuals use within us include Nylons, utilized in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, utilized in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, utilized in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to help you out in understanding its properties like a synthetic polymer. To learn more, find us here.
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