Many of you have heard or learned about Polymer in school. In layman's term, it is known to many as "Plastics", just like what my mother would call these group of substances.
Polymers are an important class of covalent molecular compounds in which the molecules are very big (macromolecules) and are made up of a large number of small repeating units or molecules linked together.
There may be several thousand repeating units in a polymer molecule. These small units from which polymers are made are called Monomers.
The properties of polymers, which depend largely on the size of their molecules, are quite different from the properties of their monomers.
However in recent years advances in science have enabled scientists to produce a wide range of man-made polymers.
Polymers can be man-made (synthetic) or natural.
Examples of Natural Polymers are:
1. Protein
2. Carbohydrates
3. Fats
Examples of Synthetic Polymers are:
1. Polyethene (PE)
2. Polychloroethene or generally known as Polyvinylchloride (PVC) - shown in the image (PVC water pipes)
3. Polypropene (PP)
4. Polytetrafluoroethene (PTFE)
5. Terylene (a polyester)
6. Nylon (a polyamide)
Polymers are getting more and more usage and applications in our everyday lives these days. It is seen to be used in common items used in homes as well as sophisticated items used in engineering industries, replacing Metals to a very large extent.
Polymers have the following desirable properties that make them so commonly used these days:
1. Light (Low Density as compared to Metals)
2. Does not corrode (Most metals corrode after sometime)
3. Equally strong (some engineering polymers as compared to metals)
4. Easy to mould and shape (their melting point is lower than metals)
5. More new polymer products can be made by blending different polymers together
6. Non-brittle (additives can be added to polymer so that they are not so brittle as compared to ceramics)
We shall see more polymer products that are once made by metals, ceramics and wood in our everyday lives.
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