Polymers have for very long been an integral part of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally an impression which leads us to imagine that polymers are simply just plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however this is simply the tip in the iceberg.
Polymers are used in all sorts of applications you will possibly not have thought much about. This blog enlightens you regarding the story behind polymers and exactly how it’s got evolved ever since to serve several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have advantage of the versatility of polymers for centuries in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not before the industrial revolution the polymer industry developed. In fact, the birth of polymer science could possibly 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 into a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland developed a resin from two quite normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between these two chemicals paved the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It absolutely was this resin that served as a harbinger to a lot of in the common polymers that individuals use today. The saying “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of countless chemical units called monomers, which can be gathered into large molecular chains made up of 1000s of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, polymethyl methacrylate might be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that occur in nature and that which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a couple of instances of natural polymers. Though they’re processed to find the product, since the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are termed as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex is essentially a polymer created from isoprene units which has a small percentage of impurities in it.
With this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There’s vast number of biopolymers for example polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally manufactured by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes method for enormous risk of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties well suited for high-value medical application for example tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as his or her name indicates, are synthesized in the laboratory or factory by way of a series of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. Through the functional perspective they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic manufactured by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is commonly referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties to a variety of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is employed extensively in the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products which possess a constituent part of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
Many of the other synthetic polymers that individuals use 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 glad to assist you in understanding its properties as a synthetic polymer. To know more, find us here.
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