Polymers have for long been a fundamental piece of our everyday lives so much so that examples can be found almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impression which leads us to trust that polymers are only plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects as well as making fibres, however this is just the tip in the iceberg.

Polymers are utilized in many applications you will possibly not have thought much about. This web site enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and just how it’s evolved since for everyone several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have got benefit of the versatility of polymers since way back when available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it had not been prior to the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. In reality, the birth of polymer science may be traced returning to the mid-nineteenth century. In 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 normal chemicals, phenol and formaldehyde. The response between these chemicals paved the way to add mass to a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It turned out this resin that served being a harbinger to numerous in the common polymers that people use today. The phrase “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of many chemical units called monomers, which can be joined together into large molecular chains comprising a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, thermoplastic resin might be classified as natural or synthetic polymers. Natural polymers are the types polymers that appear in nature which which can be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are a few types of natural polymers. Though these are processed to find the end result, since the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are known as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is actually a polymer made out of isoprene units having a tiny proportion of impurities within it.
Within this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There is vast number of biopolymers for example polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They may be naturally created by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous risk of the biotechnological creation of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application for example 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. In the functional viewpoint they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic created by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is usually referred to as acrylic plastic and lends its properties with a various 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 items that have a very constituent part of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, and others.
A number of the other synthetic polymers that people used in our everyday life include Nylons, used in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, used in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, used in pipes.
As a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is happy to work with you in understanding its properties being a synthetic polymer. To learn more, get in touch with us here.
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