Report in Polymer Science

HISTORY OF POLYMERS

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Polymers
A polymer is a large molecule
(macromolecule) composed of repeating
structural units typically connected by covalent
chemical bonds. Whereas the term polymer is
sometimes taken to refer to plastics, it actually
encompasses a large class of natural and
synthetic materials with a wide variety of
properties.

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Example of polymer formation

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History of Polymers

1500s
British explorers discover
the ancient Mayan
civilization in Central
America. The Mayans are
assumed to be among the
first to find an application for
polymers, as their children
were fond of playing with
balls made from local
rubber trees.
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History of Polymers

1839
Charles Goodyear discovers
vulcanization by combining
natural rubber with sulfur and
heating it to 270 degrees
Fahrenheit. Vulcanized rubber is
a polymeric substance that is
much more durable than its
natural counterpart. Its most
common use today is in
automobiles tires.
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History of Polymers

1907
The oldest recorded synthetic
plastic is fabricated by Leo
Bakeland. Bakelite’s hardness
and high heat resistivity made it
an excellent choice as an
electrical insulator.

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History of Polymers
1917
X-ray crystallography is
invented as a method of
analyzing crystal structures.
Eight years later, it is used M.
Polanyi to discover the chemical
structure of cellulose. This
establishes the fact that polymer
unit cells contain long chain
molecules rather than small
molecular species.
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History of Polymers
1920
Staudinger publishes his classic
paper entitled “Uber
Polymerization”. Publication of
this paper heralded a decade of
intense research and presented
to the world the development of
modern polymer theory.

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History of Polymers
1927
Large scale production of vinyl
chloride resins begins. This
polymeric compound continues
to be widely used today to make
plumbing (PVC) pipe, Euttery
tile, and bottles.

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History of Polymers
1930
Polystyrene is invented. This
polymeric material is used in
video cassettes and other
packaging. Expanded
polystyrene (commonly called
Styrofoam) is used in cups,
packaging and thermally
insulated containers.

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History of Polymers

1938
Wallace Carothers of the Dupont Company
produces another well known polymeric product,
nylon. Nylon is a common material today for such
applications as ropes and clothes.

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Synthesis of Nylon

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History of Polymers

1941
Polyethylene is developed.
Billions of pounds of both
high and low density
versions of these materials
are produced annually for
everything in packaging film
to piping to toys.

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History of Polymers

1970
James Economy develops one of the
pioneer moldable high temperature
polymers, ekonol. This polymeric
material paved the way for the
development of liquid crystal polymers
one year later that year.

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History of Polymers

1971
S. Kwolek who has been awarded
more than 37 patents in polymer
science,develops Kevlar. Kevlar is
a high strength material that can
with stand temperatures up to
300°C, and is used in applications
such as bullet proof vests and fire
proof garments for firefighting and
autoracing.

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History of Polymers

1976
The polymer/plastic industries
outstripped steel as the world’s
most widely used material per unit
volume. We now use more plastic
than steel, aluminum and copper
combined.

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History of Polymers

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History of Polymers

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Report in Polymer Science

IMPACT OF POLYMERS

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 Impact of Polymers

Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly; the

molecular bonds that make plastic so durable
make it equally resistant to natural processes of
degradation. Since the 1950s, one billion tons of
plastic have been discarded and may persist for
hundreds or even thousands of years. In some
cases, burning plastic can release toxic fumes.
Burning the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) may
create dioxin. Also, the manufacturing of plastics
often creates large quantities of chemical
pollutants. 20
 Impact of Polymers

Prior to the ban on the use of CFCs in extrusion

of polystyrene the production of polystyrene
contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer;
however, non-CFCs are currently used in the
extrusion process. pollutants.

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 Impact of Polymers

Unfortunately, recycling of plastics has proven to

be a difficult process. The biggest problem is that
it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic
wastes, making it labor intensive. Typically,
workers sort the plastic by looking at the resin
identification code, although common containers
like soda bottles can be sorted from memory.

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Report in Polymer Science

FUTURE OF POLYMERS

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 Future of polymers

Just as nature has used biological polymers as

the material of choice, mankind will chose
polymeric materials as the choice material.
Humans have progressed from the Stone Age,
through the Bronze, Iron, and Steel Ages into its
current age, the Age of Polymers - an age in
which synthetic polymers are and will be the
material of choice.

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 Future of polymers

The biggest threat to the conventional plastics

industry is most likely to be environmental
concerns, including the release of toxic pollutants,
greenhouse gas, litter, biodegradable and non-
biodegradable landfill impact as a result of the
production and disposal of petroleum and
petroleum-based plastics. Of particular concern
has been the recent accumulation of enormous
quantities of plastic trash in ocean gyres.

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 Future of Polymers

For decades one of the great appeals of plastics

has been their low price. Yet in recent years the
cost of plastics has been rising dramatically. A
major cause is the sharply rising cost of
petroleum, the raw material that is chemically
altered to form commercial plastics.

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 Future of Polymers

With some observers suggesting that future oil

reserves are uncertain, the price of petroleum
may increase further. Therefore, alternatives are
being sought. Oil shale and tar oil are alternatives
for plastic production but are expensive.
Scientists are seeking cheaper and better
alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, and
many candidates are in laboratories all over the
world. One promising alternative may be fructose.

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 Future of Polymers
Polymeric materials have a vast potential for
exciting new applications in the foreseeable
future. Polymer uses are being developed in such
diverse areas as: conduction and storage of
electricity, heat and light, molecular based
information storage and processing, molecular
composites, unique separation membranes,
revolutionary new forms of food processing and
packaging, health, housing, and transportation.
Indeed, polymers will play an increasingly
important role in all aspects of your life.
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 Future of Polymers

The large number of current and future

applications of polymeric materials has created a
great national need for persons specifically
trained to carry out research and development in
polymer science and engineering. A person
choosing a career in this field can expect to
achieve both financial reward and personal
fulfillment.

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