Polymers have for lengthy been a fundamental portion of our everyday lives so much in fact that examples are available almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impression leading us to believe that polymers are simply plastics employed for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however, this is only the tip from the iceberg.
Polymers are utilized in many applications you might not have thought much about. This site enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and how it’s got evolved since to provide several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans took benefit of the versatility of polymers for years and years as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been before the industrial revolution how the polymer industry started to realize. In fact, the birth of polymer science may be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. From 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 designed a resin from two common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between both of these chemicals led the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served as a harbinger to many from the common polymers we use today. The term “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of numerous chemical units called monomers, which are gathered into large molecular chains comprising 1000s of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, sumitomo chemical asia could be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that happen in nature which which are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a few instances of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to find the product, considering that the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber originating from tree latex is essentially a polymer made out of isoprene units with a small percentage of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers can also be significant. There is vast number of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They may be naturally created by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous prospect of the biotechnological manufacture of biopolymers with tailored properties ideal for high-value medical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as their name indicates, are synthesized within the laboratory or factory via a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional standpoint they may be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is certainly one such thermoplastic created by the polymerization from the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is frequently referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a selection of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic can be used extensively within the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer goods that have a constituent part of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and the like.
A few of the other synthetic polymers we utilization in us include Nylons, employed in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, employed in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, employed in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to work with you to understand its properties as a synthetic polymer. To know more, get in touch with us here.
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