Polymers have for very long been an integral part of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally have an impression leading us to believe that polymers are simply plastics useful for packaging, in household objects as well as for making fibres, but this is the tip of the iceberg.
Polymers are used in all sorts of applications you will possibly not have thought much about. This website enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and exactly how it has evolved since that time for everyone several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have taken advantage of the versatility of polymers for hundreds of years in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t before the industrial revolution the polymer industry began to develop. In reality, the birth of polymer science might be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization process that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber right into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland created resin from two common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between those two chemicals paved the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It had been this resin that served being a harbinger to numerous of the common polymers that we use today. The term “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which assembled means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of numerous chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains comprising thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, sumitomo chemical asia may be classified as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are those polymers that happen in nature understanding that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several instances of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to get the end product, since the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is essentially a polymer made from isoprene units using a tiny proportion of impurities inside it.
On this context, biopolymers are also significant. There is certainly large number of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They are naturally created by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes method for enormous potential for the biotechnological creation of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application including tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as their name indicates, are synthesized within the laboratory or factory by way of a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. In the functional perspective they can be 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 often called acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a variety 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 items that have a constituent portion of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that we use within our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is glad to help you to understand its properties being a synthetic polymer. To learn more, get in touch with us here.
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