Biopolymers, Natural Polymers And Synthetic Polymers Explained

Polymers have for very long been a fundamental element of our everyday lives so much so that examples is found almost ubiquitously. We generally an effect that leads us to believe that polymers are only plastics employed for packaging, in household objects and for making fibres, however this is only the tip in the iceberg.

Polymers are used in all sorts of applications you might not have thought much about. This blog enlightens you in regards to the story behind polymers and the way it has evolved ever since to serve several functions across a number of industries.
Origin of polymer science
Humans have benefit from the flexibility of polymers for years and years available as oils, tars, resins and gums. However, it wasn’t prior to the industrial revolution that this polymer industry developed. Actually, the birth of polymer science could possibly be traced to the mid-nineteenth century. From the 1830s, Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization procedure 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 led the way to build up a resin, called Bakelite, named after him. It turned out this resin that served as a harbinger to a lot of in the common polymers that individuals use today. The word “polymer” is derived from the Greek roots “poly” and “mer,” which put together means “many parts.” Polymeric substances consist of numerous chemical units called monomers, that are joined together into large molecular chains consisting of thousands of atoms.
Classification of polymers
Judging by their origin, thermoplastic resin could be classified as synthetic or natural polymers. Natural polymers are those polymers that exist in nature understanding that that are isolated from plant and animal resources. Starch, cellulose, proteins, natural rubber etc. are several instances of natural polymers. Though these are processed to obtain the result, since the basic material comes from a natural source, these polymers are referred to as natural polymers. Natural rubber received from tree latex is basically a polymer made from isoprene units using a tiny proportion of impurities inside.
In this context, biopolymers can also be significant. There is certainly huge variety of biopolymers including polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. They’re naturally produced by microorganisms. The genetic manipulation of microorganisms makes way for enormous risk of the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties suited to high-value medical application including tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Synthetic polymers, his or her name indicates, are synthesized in the laboratory or factory through 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 synthetic fibres. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is one such thermoplastic produced by the polymerization in the monomer, methyl methacrylate (MMA). PMMA is usually called acrylic plastic and lends its properties into a various 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 that use 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 us 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 satisfied to help you to understand its properties as a synthetic polymer. To learn more, get in touch with us here.
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