Polymers have for very long been a fundamental portion of our everyday lives so much in fact that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We have an impact which leads us to think that polymers are merely plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, but this is the tip from the iceberg.

Polymers are utilized in many applications you may not have thought much about. This site enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and the way they have evolved since to provide several functions across numerous industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have good thing about the versatility of polymers for years and years available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been prior to the industrial revolution how the polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science could be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. Within the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method 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 typical chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between these two chemicals paved the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It absolutely was this resin that served like a harbinger to many from the common polymers that we use today. The phrase “polymer” hails from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are made of many chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains comprising a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On such basis as their origin, polymethyl methacrylate might be considered natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that exist in nature and that that are 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 obtain the end product, considering that the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber originating from tree latex is basically a polymer made from isoprene units having a small percentage of impurities inside it.
In this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There is huge variety of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity 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, as their name indicates, are synthesized within the laboratory or factory by way of a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From the functional point of view they can be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is but one such thermoplastic made by the polymerization from the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a number of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is utilized extensively within the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products that possess a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, among others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that we use within us 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 like a synthetic polymer. To know more, get in touch with us here.
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