Polymers have for lengthy been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We are apt to have an impact leading us to imagine that polymers are merely plastics utilized for packaging, in household objects and then for making fibres, however this is only the tip in the iceberg.

Polymers are employed in many applications you might not have thought much about. This website enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and exactly how it’s got evolved since to offer several functions across a host of industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have taken advantage of the flexibility of polymers for years and years as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that the polymer industry began to develop. In fact, the birth of polymer science may be traced time for the mid-nineteenth century. Inside the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization method that transformed the sticky latex of natural rubber in 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 those two chemicals paved the way for the development of a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It was this resin that served as being a harbinger to a lot of in the common polymers that we use today. The saying “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which come up with means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are comprised of countless chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains consisting of a large number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Based on their origin, acrylic sheet can be regarded as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are the ones polymers that occur in nature and that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are some samples of natural polymers. Though they may be processed to get the end product, since basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber coming from tree latex is actually a polymer made out of isoprene units which has a small percentage of impurities inside it.
Within this context, biopolymers may also be significant. There is certainly vast number of biopolymers like polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally made by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes opportinity for enormous risk of the biotechnological output of biopolymers with tailored properties suitable for high-value medical application like tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, as his or her name indicates, are synthesized inside the laboratory or factory by having a compilation of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. In the functional standpoint they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is certainly one such thermoplastic made by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often called acrylic plastic and lends its properties to some various consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic is employed extensively inside the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer items that use a constituent element of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, among others.
A few of the other synthetic polymers that we use within us include Nylons, utilized in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, utilized in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, utilized in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is satisfied to work with you in understanding its properties as being a synthetic polymer. To know more, get in touch with us here.
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