Polymers have for too long been an integral part of our everyday lives so much so that examples is available almost ubiquitously. We have an impression leading us to imagine that polymers are only plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however, this is just the tip in the iceberg.


Polymers are employed in all sorts of applications you do not have thought much about. This website enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and how they have evolved since that time for everyone several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have taken good thing about the flexibility of polymers for years and years in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it was not prior to the industrial revolution the polymer industry developed. The truth is, the birth of polymer science might be traced time for the mid-nineteenth century. From the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization process that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in to a useful elastomer for tire use. In 1909, Leo Hendrik Baekeland designed a resin from two very common chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The reaction between both of these chemicals led the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served being a harbinger to many in the common polymers that individuals use today. The saying “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which assembled means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of countless chemical units called monomers, that happen to be joined together into large molecular chains comprising a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Based on their origin, Acrylic Plastic could be viewed as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that occur in nature understanding that that happen to be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a few samples of natural polymers. Though these are processed to obtain the result, since the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber originating from tree latex is actually a polymer created from isoprene units using a small percentage of impurities inside.
Within this context, biopolymers are also significant. There is large number of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous potential for the biotechnological manufacture of biopolymers with tailored properties well suited for high-value medical application such as tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, for their name indicates, are synthesized from the laboratory or factory by having a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From your functional perspective they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic made by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is usually called acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a selection of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is utilized extensively from the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer items that possess a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
A number of the other synthetic polymers that individuals use in our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to assist you to understand its properties being a synthetic polymer. To know more, reach out to us here.
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