Polymers have for very long been an integral part of our everyday lives a case in point that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impression leading us to imagine that polymers are merely plastics used for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Polymers are used in all sorts of applications you do not have thought much about. This website enlightens you in regards to the story behind polymers and how it’s evolved from the time to offer several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have got advantage of the versatility of polymers for years and years in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that this polymer industry began to develop. In fact, the birth of polymer science might be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. Within the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization procedure that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland created resin from two very common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between those two chemicals paved the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served like a harbinger to many people of the common polymers that people use today. The word “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of numerous chemical units called monomers, which are joined together into large molecular chains made up of thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, methyl methacrylate resin could be classified as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that happen in nature and that which are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of samples of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to have the end result, considering that the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is essentially a polymer created from isoprene units using a portion of impurities inside.
Within this context, biopolymers are also significant. There is large number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They may be naturally manufactured by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous potential for the biotechnological manufacture of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, his or her name indicates, are synthesized in the laboratory or factory by having a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From your functional standpoint they are often classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is certainly one such thermoplastic manufactured by the polymerization of the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often known as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a variety of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic can be used extensively in the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer goods that possess a constituent part of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
A few of the other synthetic polymers that people use within us include Nylons, employed in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, employed in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, employed in pipes.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is pleased to assist you in understanding its properties like a synthetic polymer. To find out more, contact us here.
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