What is polymer material?
Polymer materials are a group of materials including plastics, rubbers, adhesives, paints, foams, resins and many other materials that are used in daily life. These materials entered human life in the 20th century and have become the basis for many developments in the advancement of technology and the change of human lifestyle. Polymer materials are mainly produced from oil and gas derivatives; However, some polymer materials are bio-based, that is, they are made from materials extracted from nature. Some other polymer materials are extracted directly from nature.
Polymer is derived from two Greek words poly meaning many and mer meaning part. Polymer has been available since the beginning of human life and people used it to meet the needs of life without having a proper understanding of these materials. These materials (Polymers) are found in nature and all living systems. Polymer materials include a group of rubber and plastic materials, paints, foams, adhesives, resins and many other materials that are used in daily life. Our body is also composed of polymers.
🔺 Polymer material and its structure
Polymer materials and their structure
🔺 The components of the polymers
Polymer is made from two words "poly" and "mer". Poly means many and Mer means few. In fact, polymers are substances whose molecular structure consists of many repeating components. For example, polyethylene, which is the most widely used man-made polymer, is made from ethylene gas. Therefore, the polyethylene molecule is composed of repeating ethylene units. Polyethylene is obtained by sticking ethylene molecules together. Also, polypropylene molecules are obtained from the adhesion of propylene molecules to each other.
The constituent units of polymers, which are actually their molecules, are called monomers. Mono means "one" and Mer means "except"; So, monomers are single components that make up polymers. For example, ethylene is also called ethylene monomer. Likewise, the constituent components of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are called vinyl chloride monomer. The act of sticking monomer molecules together and forming a polymer is called polymerization process. In petrochemical units that produce polymers, the polymerization process is carried out, during which polymers are formed from monomers.
Applications of polymers
Polymers have interesting and attractive physical and mechanical properties, and this has caused the increasing development of the use of these materials in various industries as well as daily life. Polymers are used in various industries such as automobile industry, construction industry, packaging industry, textile industry, household appliance industry, health and pharmaceutical industry, electrical and electronic industry, agricultural industry, military industry, sports equipment industry, composite sheet, transportation industry, etc. They are widely used.
