Synthetic Polymers

HISTORY OF SYNTHETIC POLYMER

ETYMOLOG
Y
Synthetic imitate a natural product
Polymer From the greek poly, meaning many, and meros,
meaning parts.
Synthetic polymer An imitation of natural polymer products.

HISTORY OF SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Charles
Goodyear

HISTORY OF SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Styrolene(styrene), when heated at 200 during a few

hours, transforms itself into a resinous polymer.
Nobel prize at 1953
Proposed the modern concept of polymers as
covalently bonded macromolecular structures.

Herman
Staudinger

HITORY OF SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Leo Hendrik
Baekeland
The father of
plastics industry

BAKELITE

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

STRUCTUR
E

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Amorphous structure: Large amounts of empty space due to

branching.
Its amorphous regions imparts flexibility
Crystalline structure: Regular structures with
little or no branching, and it allows the chains to fit close together.
They are held by intermolecular interactions, such as van der Waals
forces or H-bond

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Classification of Synthetic
Polymer
Polymerization Process : Occurs on Addition or Condensation
2 Basic Polymerization Reactions:
-Addition : Entire monomers are linked together to form long chains

-Condensation : monomers containing two functional groups are joined

together and lose a small molecule such as H2O or HCl.

2 Major categories of reaction: Stepwise and chainwise processes

-Stepwise Processes: Reactants are brought together and heated.
Two different functional groups; species of any kind may react
with one
another

-Chainwise Processes:
Initiation: Breaking the monomers double bond.
Propagation: Growth of chain by addition of monomer units.
Termination: The growth of the chain is terminated.

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

SYNTHETIC
ROUTES
Starting materials or feedstocks: Mostly are
monomers like polystyrene, polyethylene, and
nylons are derived indirectly from fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels are formed from the decomposition of
once-living matter.

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

Various Polymerization
Techniques based on mixture
types
MELT PROCESS(high melt, bulk melt, bulk, or neat) :
Equilibrium process
-Polymer is formed by driving the reaction towards
completion, by the removal of byproduct or condensate.
-Heat control is important because most of the reactions
are exothermic.

SYNTHETIC POLYMER
SOLUTION PROCESS:
-Polymer is formed by driving the reaction
towards completion, by the removal of
byproduct or condensate.
-Product is recovered by adding reaction liquid
to a non-solvent, removal of the solvent, or
direct precipitation of the polymer from the
reaction.
-Most reactive reactants are generally required
due to low temperature is needed for the
reaction.

Solution
Process

Plastic wrap
Plastic bag

PET bottle
process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v89ezOA0oNE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYfcRwMA_k8

SYNTHETIC POLYMER
SUSPENSION PROCESS: Suspension polymerization
-Water insoluble monomers can be polymerized as
suspending droplets
-Merging of the droplets is prevented by use of small
amounts of water-soluble polymers (such as vinyl
alcohol).

EMULSION PROCESS:
-Differs in the size of the suspended droplets and in
the mechanism.

Suspension Process: Loop Reactor Processes

Suspension Process: Stirred Tank Reactor

TPYPES OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

ELASTOMERS
Polymers that possess chemical or
physical crosslinks. The crosslinks
allows the stretched and deformed
segments to return to their original
locations after the force is removed.
Elastomers are pliable plastic
material that are good at insulating,
withstanding deformation, and
molding into different shapes.

ELASTOMERS

Thermoplastics
- Thermoplastic (sometimes written as thermo plastic) is a type of
plastic made from polymer resins that becomes a homogenized liquid
when heated and hard when cooled.
- When frozen, however, a thermoplastic becomes glass-like and
subject to fracture.
- These characteristics, which lend the material its name, are
reversible.
- That is, it can be reheated, reshaped, and frozen repeatedly. This
quality also makes thermoplastics recyclable.

Thermoplastics

Acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene, a type of
thermoplastic, is used to
make LEGO blocks.

Polycarbonate, a common type of

thermoplastic, is used in eyeglass
lenses.

Thermosets
- Thermosets also take a hardened form after they have been

heated and allowed to cool.

- A major difference is that thermosets cannot be melted down

and reformed
- For this reason, thermoset materials are typically considered to

be non-recyclables.

Thermosets

Polyurethanes in coatings
Epoxy resin in
Epoxy glue

TPYPES OF SYNTHETIC POLYMERS

ELASTOMERS
Rubbery
Elastic

Polyisopren
e,
Neoprene,
Spandex

Thermoplastics
Tough
Flexible
Softens
with heat
Polystyrene
Polycarbonate
Polyethylene
Nylon
Polyester

Thermosets
Strong
Inflexible
Insoluble and
does not
soften
with heat
Epoxies
Some urethanes
Cured polyesters
Formaldehyde resins

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

INDUSTRIAL
ASPECT

There are three groupings of companies present in the

United States(Over 10,000 companies are active in
synthetic polymers):
Manufacturers: Over 200 companies produces bulk
polymers that are used by the two other groupings.
-Some products produced are called Specialty Polymers,
those that are used in special applications on a small
scale.

SYNTHETIC POLYMER

INDUSTRIAL
ASPECT

Processors: Specializes in the use of selected polymers, such

as such as polypropylenes, polyethylenes, or nylons; in a
particular mode of processing; or in the production of
particular markets such as films, sheets, laminates,
adhesives, or coatings.
FABRICATORS AND FINISHERS:
-Large majority of companies are involved in producing
polymer-containing products.
-Fabrication is divided into 3 broad areas: Machining, forming,
and fashioning.

Materials

Biopolymers

Carbon Nanotubes
Polymer fibers: stronger than steel!
Packaging

Lubricants

Elastomeric materials

Bearings

Bearings - structural joints that are

installed between a structure and its
foundation.
The bearing is very stiff and strong in
the vertical direction, but flexible in
the horizontal direction.

HOW THE BEARING WORKS

A base isolated structure is supported by a

series of bearing pads which are placed
between the building and the building's
foundation

As a result of an earthquake, the ground beneath each

building begins to move.
Each building responds with movement which tends
toward the right.
The building's displacement in the direction opposite the
ground motion is actually due to inertia.

ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS

Consist of thin rubber sheets bonded onto thin steel plates and
combined with an energy dissipation mechanism.
The rubber sheets are vulcanized and bonded to the thin steel plates
under pressure and heat.
it is designed in such a way that bearing is very stiff and strong in
vertical direction, but flexible in horizontal direction.
Thick mounting steel plates are bonded to the bottom and top surfaces
allowing the isolator to be firmly connected to the foundation below
and the superstructure above.

Chain
5,000

Length: 4,000

PVC (polyvinyl
chloride)

More Polar Stronger Bonding

Chain Length: several

hundred to many thousands

Cotton

Long Strands of Cellulose

+ Hydrogen Bonds

Cellulose is the most common organic

material on earth!
It is also a primary constituent of wood and
paper.

Chain
8,000

Length: 4,000

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE)

Polyester

Chain
2000

Length: 1000 -

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Chain Length: 10,000

100,000

High-Density Polyethylene
(HDPE)

Chain

Length: 2-6 million

Ultra-high-molecular-weight
polyethylene (UHMWPE)
Joint
Replacement

Helmet
Gears

Kevlar

Strong Network of Covalent

Bonds
And Polar Hydrogen Bonds

Plastic resin identification

codes

Codes

Descriptions

Recycled products

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET, PETE) is clear, tough, and has good gas and
moisture barrier properties. Commonly used in soft drink bottles and many injection
molded. Other applications include strapping and both food and non-food
containers. Cleaned recycled PET flakes and pellets are in great demand for spinning
fiber for carpet yarns, producing fiberfill and geo-textiles.

Fiber, tote bags, clothing, film and

sheet, food and beverage containers,
carpet, strapping, fleece wear, luggage
and bottles.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is used to make bottles for milk, juice, water and
laundry products. Unpigmented bottles are translucent, have good barrier properties
and stiffness, and are well suited to packaging products with a short shelf life such as
milk. Because HDPE has good chemical resistance, it is used for packaging many
household and industrial chemicals.

Bottles; pipe, buckets, crates, flower

pots, garden edging, film and sheet,
recycling bins, benches, dog houses,
plastic lumber, floor tiles, picnic tables,
fencing.

Polypropylene or PVC has excellent chemical resistance, good weatherability, flow

characteristics and stable electrical properties. The vinyl products can be broadly
divided into rigid and flexible materials. Bottles and packaging sheet are major rigid
markets, but it is also widely used as pipes and fittings, siding, carpet backing and
windows. Flexible vinyl is used in wire and cable insulation, film and sheet, floor
coverings synthetic leather products, coatings, blood bags, medical tubing and many
others.

Packaging, binders, decking, paneling,

gutters, mud flaps, film and sheet, floor
tiles and resilient flooring, cables,
mats, cassette trays, electrical traffic
cones, boxes, garden hose, mobile.

Codes

Descriptions

Recycled products

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) used predominately in film applications due to its
toughness, flexibility and relative transparency, making it popular for use in applications
where heat sealing is necessary. LDPE is also used to manufacture some flexible lids
and bottles and it is used in wire and cable applications.

Shipping envelopes, garbage can

liners, film and sheet, furniture,
compost bins, paneling, trash cans,
landscape timber, lumber

Polypropylene (PP) has good chemical resistance, is strong, and has a high melting
point making it good for hot-fill liquids. PP is found in flexible and rigid packaging to
fibers and large molded parts for automotive and consumer products.

Automobile battery cases, signal

lights, battery cables, brooms,
brushes, oil bins, funnels, bicycle
racks, trays pallets, sheeting.

Polystyrene (PS) is a versatile plastic that can be rigid or foamed. General purpose
polystyrene is clear, hard and brittle. It has a relatively low melting point. Typical
applications include protective packaging, containers, lids, cups, bottles and trays.

Light switch plates, vents, thermal

insulation, desk trays, rulers, license
plate frames, foam packing, foam
plates, utensils

Other. Use of this code indicates that the package in question is made with a resin other
than the six listed above, or is made of more than one resin listed above, and used in a
multi-layer combination.

Bottles, plastic lumber