Polymers have for too long been an integral part of our everyday lives because of this that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We have an effect leading us to imagine that polymers are merely plastics used for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Polymers are utilized in all sorts of applications you do not have thought much about. This website enlightens you about the story behind polymers and the way they have evolved since that time to provide several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have benefit of the flexibility of polymers since way back when by means of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not before industrial revolution that the polymer industry developed. In reality, the birth of polymer science might be traced time for the mid-nineteenth century. In the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in to a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland created a resin from two quite typical chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between both of these chemicals paved the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It turned out this resin that served as being a harbinger to many of the common polymers that people use today. The saying “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances consist of countless chemical units called monomers, which can be joined together into large molecular chains made up of thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On such basis as their origin, acrylic sheet might be classified as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that exist in nature understanding that which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are some types of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to have the product, since the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is basically a polymer produced from isoprene units which has a small percentage of impurities inside it.
Within this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There’s large number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They’re naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous risk of the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as their name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory by way of a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From the functional perspective they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one such thermoplastic made by the polymerization of 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 goods that have a very constituent portion of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and the like.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that people used in our everyday life include Nylons, found in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, found in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, found in pipes.
Like a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to help you to understand its properties as being a synthetic polymer. To know more, get in touch with us here.
For more details about acrylic sheet take a look at this popular webpage: click for more