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    History of Polymer

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    Marvin Paras
    This document provides a history of polymers and plastics from ancient times to the present. It describes how ancient peoples used naturally occurring plastics like rubber. In the 1500s, British explorers discovered that the Mayans used rubber balls. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization which made rubber more durable. In the early 20th century, the first synthetic plastics like Bakelite and celluloid were developed. Major advances in polymer science occurred in the 1920s and research accelerated. Nylon was developed in 1938 and polyethylene in 1941, which are now widely used. Modern high temperature polymers emerged in the 1970s and materials like Kevlar were invented, finding applications in bulletproof vests. Today,

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    History of Polymer

    Uploaded by

    Marvin Paras
    80 views3 pages
    This document provides a history of polymers and plastics from ancient times to the present. It describes how ancient peoples used naturally occurring plastics like rubber. In the 1500s, British explorers discovered that the Mayans used rubber balls. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization which made rubber more durable. In the early 20th century, the first synthetic plastics like Bakelite and celluloid were developed. Major advances in polymer science occurred in the 1920s and research accelerated. Nylon was developed in 1938 and polyethylene in 1941, which are now widely used. Modern high temperature polymers emerged in the 1970s and materials like Kevlar were invented, finding applications in bulletproof vests. Today,

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    This document provides a history of polymers and plastics from ancient times to the present. It describes how ancient peoples used naturally occurring plastics like rubber. In the 1500s, British explorers discovered that the Mayans used rubber balls. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization which made rubber more durable. In the early 20th century, the first synthetic plastics like Bakelite and celluloid were developed. Major advances in polymer science occurred in the 1920s and research accelerated. Nylon was developed in 1938 and polyethylene in 1941, which are now widely used. Modern high temperature polymers emerged in the 1970s and materials like Kevlar were invented, finding applications in bulletproof vests. Today,

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    80 views3 pages

    History of Polymer

    Uploaded by

    Marvin Paras
    This document provides a history of polymers and plastics from ancient times to the present. It describes how ancient peoples used naturally occurring plastics like rubber. In the 1500s, British explorers discovered that the Mayans used rubber balls. In 1839, Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization which made rubber more durable. In the early 20th century, the first synthetic plastics like Bakelite and celluloid were developed. Major advances in polymer science occurred in the 1920s and research accelerated. Nylon was developed in 1938 and polyethylene in 1941, which are now widely used. Modern high temperature polymers emerged in the 1970s and materials like Kevlar were invented, finding applications in bulletproof vests. Today,

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

    363 P. Casal St., Quiapo, Manila

    History of Polymer
    (Plastic)

    Marvin Brian J. Paras

    Engr. Lina dela Cruz

    November 29, 2017


    A polymer is simply a very large molecule made up of many smaller units joined
    together, generally end to end, to create a long chain. Many ancient peoples worldwide used
    naturally occurring plastics for a range of decorative and functional purposes. These included
    materials such as bitumen, amber, waxes, lac and rubbers and especially horns of different types
    were moulded or shaped, some being filled and used as coatings. In the last millennium more
    systematic developments and commercial applications led to increasingly rapid changes.

    YEAR DESCRIPTION
    1500’s 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 found with balls made from local
    rubber trees.
    1839 Charles Goodyear discovers
    vulcanization, by combusting natural rubber
    with sulfur and heating it to 270oF. Vulcanized
    rubber is a polymeric substance that is much
    more durable than its natural commuter. Its
    most common use in modern times is in
    automobile tires.
    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.
    1917 X-ray crystallography is invented as a
    method of analyzing crystal structures. Eight
    years later, this method is used by M. Polanyi
    to discover the chemical structure of cellulose.
    This establishes the fact that polymer unit cells
    contain sections of long chain molecules rather
    than small molecular species.
    1920 Staudinger published 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.
    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.
    1930 Polystyrene is invented. This polymeric
    material is used in videocassettes and other
    packaging. Expanded polystyrene (commonly
    called Styrofoam) is used in cups, packaging,
    and thermally insulated containers.
    1938 Wallace Carothers of the Dupont
    company produces another well-known
    polymeric product, nylon. Nylon is a common
    material used today for such applications as
    popes and clothes.
    1941 Polyethylene is developed. Billions of
    pounds of both high and low density versions
    of this material are produced annually for
    everything from packaging film to piping to
    toys.
    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. Ekonol’s most
    common applications occur in electronic
    devices and aircraft engines.
    1971 S.Kwolek, who has been awarded more
    than 37 patents in polymer science, develops
    Kevlar. Kevlar is a high strength material that
    can withstand temperatures up to 300oC, and is
    used in applications such as bullet proof vests,
    and fire proof garments for firefighting and
    auto racing.
    1976 – present The polymer or plastics industry
    outstripped steel as the nation’s most widely
    used material per unit volume. In modern era,
    plastic is being used more than steel, aluminum
    and copper combined.

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