Polymers Essay Example For Students

Polymers Essay Polymers are large moleculescomposed of smaller molecules called monomers. Monomers are produced and either grow togetheror are assembled to produce a single polymer. There are synthetic and natural polymers. Someexamples of natural polymers would be wood,starches, fingernails, and hair. Synthetic polymersare usually referred to as plastics. Petroleum, is theprimary monomer used to produce polymers. AnEnglish chemist named Alexander Parkes was thefirst scientist to produce the first synthetic polymerin 1862. John Wesley Hyatt, an American, wasthe first person to produce a useable polymer twoyears later. He named the product celluloid. Theprime virtue of polymers is a highstrength-to-weight ratio. Industrial-strengthpolymers surpass titanium in tensile strength. Toadd strength and improve flexibility, polymers aresometimes fortified with short-fiber additives,mostly fiberglass. This is known as a polymercomposite. One particular polymer has three timesthe strength of tempered steel and is being used inbullet proof vests. Another composite will be usedto fasten together the sections proposed spacestations. Polymers have also been used in cars,includ ing the Chevrolet Camaro and the PontiacFiero. New polymers are being created with morestrength and flexibility by combing two chemicallydifferent polymers and producing a blockcopolymer. Combinations of block copolymersand composites and intended for use in boosterrockets and in materials of Earth-orbitinginstallations. Most common polymers are usuallysolid, but a new class of polymers is beingintroduced in a liquid crystal state. Although thesepolymers still have the physical characteristics ofliquid, they are structured more like solids. Manyliquid crystals are transparent at one temperatureand colored at another temperature. This makesthem suitable for use in liquid crystal displays, suchas in digital watches, hand-held calculators, andlap-top computers. A new liquid polymer,consisting of a mixture of iron and nickel, is beingused to make metal links that can be used inpaper, glass, and on electronic circuit boards. Despite the development and widespread use ofpolymers, scientific understanding is still sketchy. Polymer development has occurred through trialand error. Scientific shortcomings are becomingmore apparent in the search for polymers that canmeet the demands for high technology of today. The new study is on the microstructure ofpolymers while still in a liquid state. The purpose isto learn how the solid-state structure is developed. The ultimate goal is to be able to predictproperties from a specific material under aconstant set of processing conditions. Science