Polymers have for very long been an integral part of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally have an effect leading us to trust that polymers are simply plastics used for packaging, in household objects as well as for making fibres, however, this is just the tip with the iceberg.

Polymers are utilized in all sorts of applications you might not have thought much about. This web site enlightens you concerning the story behind polymers and just how it’s got evolved ever since to serve several functions across quite a few industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have benefit from the versatility of polymers for years and years in the form of oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t until the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science could be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. Inside 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 created resin from two 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 had been this resin that served being a harbinger to many with the common polymers that we use today. The term “polymer” comes from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which build means “many parts.” Polymeric substances are composed of many chemical units called monomers, that happen to be gathered into large molecular chains consisting of a huge number of atoms.
Classification of polymers
On the basis of their origin, pmma plastic might be classified as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are those polymers that appear in nature knowning that that happen to be isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several samples of natural polymers. Though these are processed to have the end product, since the basic material develops from a natural source, these polymers are called as natural polymers. Natural rubber via tree latex is actually a polymer produced from isoprene units having a portion of impurities in it.
Within this context, biopolymers will also be significant. There is certainly large number of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. These are naturally produced by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes means for enormous risk of 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 in the laboratory or factory by way of a group of chemical reactions from low molecular weight compounds. From the functional standpoint they could be classified into four main categories: thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers and artificial fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is a such thermoplastic produced by the polymerization with the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is often called acrylic plastic and lends its properties to a selection of consumer product applications. Being both a thermoplastic and transparent plastic, acrylic can be used extensively in the automotive industry in trunk release handles, master cylinder, and dashboard lighting. Consumer products which use a constituent component of acrylic plastic include aquariums, motorcycle helmet lenses, paint, furniture, picture framing, and umbrella clamps, amongst others.
Some of the other synthetic polymers that we used in our everyday life include Nylons, found in fabrics and textiles, Teflon, found in non-stick pans and Polyvinyl Chloride, found in pipes.
As being a leading manufacturer of SUMIPEX® PMMA polymer, Sumitomo Chemical is glad to help you to understand its properties being a synthetic polymer. To find out more, reach out to us here.
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