Introduction to Polymers

Seth Bates and A. Lopez San Jose State University

2/16/2004

What is a Polymer?
Strictly speaking:
A substance composed of molecules which have long

sequences of one or more species of atoms or groups of atoms linked to each other by primary bonds.
(Introduction to Polymers: Second Edition, by Young and Lovell. Page 3)

Informally speaking:
Long chains of carbon based molecules linked by

covalent bonds (imagine a bead necklace several hundred feet long)

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 2

General Classes of Polymers

Thermoplastics
Can be repeatedly melted upon the application of heat, considered

recyclable because of this

Elastomers
Rubbery materials that can stretch many times their original length;

they do not melt upon application of heat, they will degrade if heated to high enough temperature

Thermosets
Generally rigid materials that can withstand higher temperatures

than elastomers, they do not melt and will degrade if heated to high enough temperature

As with all classifications, there are sometimes exceptions to the rules when describing the behavior of polymers
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 3

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and Mica Composite 150X Magnification

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 4

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and Mica Composite 200X Magnification

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 5

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and Mica Composite 5000X Magnification

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 6

Historical Summary
The search for a material replacement of horn sparked the modern plastics industry
Horn was not of uniform quality Horn was difficult to work with and had very limited mold-

ability, but it had unique properties and esthetic appeal

By the 1800s Horn was being replaced by other natural polymers

Shellac; insects
found use as a coating for furniture and molded into boxes, buttons, combs and electrical insulators and later into phonograph records

Gutta percha: palaquium tree

Found largest use as an electrical insulator (first transatlantic cable insulated with gutta percha) and billiard balls
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 7

Historical Summary (p1)

Some natural polymers became useful only when modified chemically
Rubber was one of the earliest and most important

discoveries in the polymer industry

Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization of natural rubber

Celluloid was another early modified polymer; the first

polymer truly capable of imitating the esthetics of horn and shell

Celluloid was clear and could be colored to imitate the patterns of horn and shell One of its unique applications was in the film industry, where it was used as the substrate for the first motion picture film

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 8

Historical Summary (p2)

The physical properties and quality of modified natural polymers were still a barrier for many applications outside of fashion accessories and knickknacks
Bakelite, a product of phenol and formaldehyde, was

introduced in 1909; it was the first fully synthetic thermoset polymer With the introduction of phenolic polymers started to be used in structural, electrical and chemical applications not previously considered for polymers
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 9

Serendipitous Discoveries
History Development by Accident
Poly(ethylene) Discovered in 1933 by Fawcett and

Gibson during a botched experiment Teflon was invented accidentally by Dr. Roy Plunkett at Dupont in 1938 when experimenting with Freon coolants under pressure. Silly Putty Trying to invent a substitute for natural rubber, James Wright combines silicon oil with boric acid, instead of substitute for rubber he gets a fun play toy

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 10

Major Consumer Plastics

The use of plastics is increasing around the world, in the U.S sales of plastics between 1984 and 1994 increased by about 5% annually. 82% of sales were of the following resins: LDPE PVC PS PET
12/22/2003

HDPE PP PU Phenolic
Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 11

Most Common Process Methods

LDPE
Film: bags and shipping wrap

HDPE
Blow molding and extrusion: containers, tubing,

electrical insulation

PVC
Extrusion: pipe, shaped profiles, patent leather

PP
Extrusion and injection molding: fibers, sheet, molded

parts
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 12

Recycling
This has become a hot environmental topic for many reasons
Most polymers are not biodegradable Most polymers are made from petroleum and

other non renewable resources Polymer processing requires many environmentally harmful solvents
See the introduction and article in Science Magazine Vol. 297 No. 5582, pages 798 and 803 respectively, on Green chemistry
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 13

Recycling Consumer Plastics

Thermoplastic recycling process:

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 14

Recycling of Thermosets
While most thermosets are not recycled there are methods of reusing some of these polymers
Many thermosets can be chopped and used as

filler Powdered phenolic can be added to the raw material stream Depolymerization can be used in some cases to break down thermosets into their component parts for reuse
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 15

Why Can Thermoplastics be Remelted?

Chemical bonding in thermoplastics polymers allows this
The backbone of polymers is chemically bonded

through covalent bonds Separate polymer chains (macromolecules) in the bulk are attracted to each other by Van der Waals and/or dipole forces in addition to entanglement Heating thermoplastics inputs thermal energy into the material causing excitation of the molecules and subsequent motion, allowing macromolecules to slip past each other (melt)
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 16

Why Can Thermosets NOT be Remelted?

Chemical bonding in Thermosets
As in thermoplastics, the backbone of most thermosets

is covalently bonded In contrast to thermoplastics, there are no individual macromolecules

Thermosets consist of a continuous crosslinked network of covalently bonded molecules

Thermosets are locked into their molecular structure

by strong covalent bonding, which does not allow polymer chains to move freely with the application of heat
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 17

Disposal of Plastics
Dumping plastics in a land fill takes up a tremendous amount of space; most plastics do not degrade readily Incineration of plastics has an especially controversial issue since the 1970s when Federal clean air regulations were put in place
PVC in particular has been a concern for incineration

because it releases dioxins a suspected carcinogen

Biodegradable plastics have started to be used that break down in the presence of sunlight, water, and microorganisms
12/22/2003 Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers Tech 140 18

End of Introduction to Polymers

For more information, check the polymer and composites links at the tech 140 web page

12/22/2003

Lecture 1 Intro to Polymers

Tech 140 19