Plastics 1

 A polymer is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many

repeated subunits. Polymers, both natural and synthetic, are created
via polymerization of many small molecules, known as monomers.
 Polyisoprene of latex rubber is an example of a natural polymer, and
the polystyrene of styrofoam is an example of a synthetic polymer.
 Natural polymeric materials such as shellac, amber, wool, silk and
natural rubber have been used for centuries. A variety of other natural
polymers exist, such as cellulose, which is the main constituent of wood and
paper.
 The list of synthetic polymers, roughly in order of worldwide demand,
includes polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride,
synthetic rubber, phenol formaldehyde resin (or Bakelite), neoprene, nylon,
polyacrylonitrile, PVB, silicone, and many more.
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 Main chemical components of
polymers:
 Most commonly, the continuously
linked backbone of a polymer
used for the preparation of
plastics consists mainly of
carbon and hydrogen atoms.
A simple example is
polyethylene, whose repeating
unit is based on ethylene
monomer.
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 Classification of polymers:
 There are a varieties of polymers but 3 main types of it will be
discussed here such as:
1. Thermoplastic polymers
2. Thermoset polymers
3. Elastomers
 Thermoplastic and thermoset is under the categories of plastics
which we will talk in this lesson.
 Elastomer was already discussed in the previous chapter “Rubber”
but will be talk a little more here.
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1. Thermoplastic polymers (or Thermoplastics):

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2. Thermoset polymers (or Thermoset or Duroplastics):

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3. Elastomers:

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 Plastic is material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic
organic compounds that are malleable and so can be molded into solid objects.
 Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass and often contain
other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from
petrochemicals, however, an array of variants are made from renewable
materials such as polylactic acid from corn or cellulosics from cotton linters.
 Due to their low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water,
plastics are used in a multitude of products of different scale, including paper clips
and spacecraft.
 They have prevailed over traditional materials, such as wood, stone, horn and bone,
leather, metal, glass, and ceramic, in some products previously left to natural
materials.

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 Mechanical behaviour of some  Deformation characteristics of
plastics when heated: duroplastics:

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 Limiting temperatures for the use  Comparing the tensile strength of
of plastics and metals: plastics and metals:

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1. List down the properties of plastics?
2. What are the main chemical compositions of plastics?
3. What are the differences between polymer and monomer?
4. How many types of polymer classified?
5. Which polymers that we can not remold, reshape again after
heating?
6. What is the intermolecular linkage of thermoset polymer?
7. Raise some types of elastomer you heard about?

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9. What are the behaviors of thermoset and thermoplastic in room temperature and
when hot?
10. How many states of thermoplastics when heated?
11. If we want to reshape thermoplastics until what state should we heat it?
12. what does it mean by the term “chemical decomposition”?
13. The strength of thermoplastic will decrease/increase when heated?
14. Does thermoset (duroplastics) experience a thermoelastic state or not when
heated?
15. What is the maximum temperature for the use of polyvinyl chloride?
16. What is the tensile strength range of polyethylene?
17. What is the shape of chips of thermoplastic when machining?
18. Can we join plastic together or not?
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 Additives/fillers:  Mould-release agents
 Curing agents
 Polymer additives can be classified
on the basis of the improvement in  Surface properties modification:
properties and use throughout an  Slip additives
application:  Antistatic agents
 Ageing and degradation:  Antifogging agents
 Stabilisers (thermal stabilisers,  Coupling agents
antioxidant and light stabilisers)
 Antimicrobial agents
 Flame retardants
 Smoke suppressants  Economics:
 Foaming agents
 Physical properties modification:  Fillers and reinforcements
 Plasticisers
 Pigments
 Lubricants
 Colorants 34
 Processing aids
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 Polymer Blends:

 Polymer blends are physical mixtures of structurally different polymers that adhere together.
They adhere together through secondary bond forces, with no covalent bond between
them.
 Several important polymer pairs are compatible. However, most pairs exhibit pronounced
incompatibility. Incompatibility leads to poor mechanical properties.
 Polymer blends offer the following attributes:
 They offer processors the most efficient way to satisfy new requirements for material properties.
 They fill economic and performance gaps.
 They provide improved processability.
 They are a relatively simple solution to a complex problem.
 They provide a reduction in costs.
 They enable properties of importance to be maximised.
 They have interesting engineering applications.
 They are important for the preparation of materials with new desirable properties. 36
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1. What is the meaning of PVC, PE, PP, PF and EVAC? What is the type of each polymer?
2. What is the application area of PVC?
3. What does it look like when we burn Polyethylene?
4. What are the characteristics of natural rubber polymer?
5. What is the plastic name that can work at the highest temperature?
6. What is polymer blend?
7. What is polymer composite?
8. What type of plastic material that we frequently use the compression moulding process?
9. How does injection moulding process work?
10. What are the plastic types that we use in blow molding process?

11. What are the main advantages of rotational moulding over injection and blow moulding?
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 Polyethylene (PE):
 It is light, versatile synthetic resin made from the polymerization of
ethylene. Polyethylene is a member of the important family of
polyolefin resins.
 It is the most widely used plastic in the world, being made into
products ranging from clear food wrap and shopping bags to
detergent bottles and automobile fuel tanks.

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 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure:
 Ethylene (C2H4) is a gaseous hydrocarbon commonly produced by the cracking
of ethane, which in turn is a major constituent of natural gas or can be distilled
from petroleum.
 Ethylene molecules are essentially composed of two methylene units (CH2) linked
together by a double bond between the carbon atoms—a structure represented by
the formula CH2=CH2.
 Under the influence of polymerization catalysts, the double bond can be broken
and the resultant extra single bond used to link to a carbon atom in another
ethylene molecule.
 Thus, made into the repeating unit of a large, polymeric (multiple-unit) molecule,
ethylene has the following chemical structure:

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 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure (Continued):
 This simple structure can be produced in linear or branched forms.
 the linear versions are known as high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).
 Branched versions are known as low-density polyethylene (LDPE) or
linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE);

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 Production of polyethylene:
 Ethylene gas is pumped under pressure into a reaction vessel, where
it polymerizes under the influence of a Ziegler-Natta catalyst in the
presence of a solvent.
 A slurry of polyethylene, unreacted ethylene monomer, catalyst, and
solvent exits the reactor.
 Unreacted ethylene is separated and returned to the reactor, while
the catalyst is neutralized by an alcohol wash and filtered out.
 Excess solvent is recovered from a hot water bath and recycled, and
a dryer dehydrates the wet polyethylene to its final powder form.
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 Raw polyethylene pallets:

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 Products:

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 Polypropylene (PP):
 Polypropylene, a synthetic resin built up by the polymerization of propylene.
 One of the important family of polyolefin resins, polypropylene is molded or
extruded into many plastic products in which toughness, flexibility, light weight,
and heat resistance are required.
 It is also spun into fibres for employment in industrial and household textiles.
 Propylene can also be polymerized with ethylene to produce an elastic ethylene-
propylene copolymer.
 Polypropylene is blow-molded into bottles for foods, shampoos, and other
household liquids.
 It is also injection-molded into many products, including appliance housings,
dishwasher-safe food containers, toys, automobile battery casings, and outdoor
furniture. The plastic recycling code number of polypropylene is #5. 61
 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure:
 Propylene is a gaseous compound obtained by the thermal cracking of ethane,
propane, butane, and the naphtha fraction of petroleum.
 Like ethylene, it belongs to the “lower olefins,” a class of hydrocarbons whose
molecules contain a single pair of carbon atoms linked by a double bond.
 The chemical structure of the propylene molecule is CH2=CHCH3. Under the action
of polymerization catalysts, however, the double bond can be broken and
thousands of propylene molecules linked together to form a chainlike polymer (a
large, multiple-unit molecule).
 In such a molecule each propylene repeating unit has the following structure:

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 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure (Continued):
 Essentially, the molecule consists of a backbone of carbon atoms with
attached hydrogen atoms; attached to every other carbon atom is a
pendant methyl group (CH3).
 The polymer shares some of the properties of polyethylene, but it is
stronger, stiffer, and harder, and it softens at higher temperatures. (Its
melting point is approximately 170 °C [340 °F].)
 It is slightly more prone to oxidation than polyethylene unless
appropriate stabilizers and antioxidants are added.

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 Production of polypropylene:  Raw polypropylene pellet:

 The Ziegler-Natta catalysts

developed for the
polymerization of propylene
are based on the same
chemistry used to produce
polyethylene.
 The key difference is that TiCl3
and aluminium diethyl chloride
replace the TiCl3 and trialkyl
aluminium system used for
polyethylene. 64
 Products:

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 Polystyrene (PS):
 Polystyrene, a hard, stiff, brilliantly transparent synthetic resin produced by
the polymerization of styrene.
 It is widely employed in the food-service industry as rigid trays and
containers, disposable eating utensils, and foamed cups, plates, and bowls.
 Polystyrene is also copolymerized, or blended with other polymers,
lending hardness and rigidity to a number of important plastic and rubber
products.
 Pure polystyrene is stiff, transparent, reasonably strong, brittle, chemically
inert and a good electrical insulator. It can be readily converted into useful
items by extrusion, injection, molding, blow molding and thermoforming.
 In its foamed state it is an excellent thermal insulator, which can be formed
into sheet, tubes and more complex shapes. 66
 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure:
 Styrene is obtained by reacting ethylene with benzene in the presence of
aluminum chloride to yield ethylbenzene.
 The benzene group in this compound is then dehydrogenated to yield
phenylethylene, or styrene, a clear liquid hydrocarbon with the chemical
structure CH2=CHC6H5.
 Styrene is polymerized by using free-radical initiators primarily in bulk and
suspension processes, although solution and emulsion methods are also
employed.
 The structure of the polymer repeating unit can be represented as:

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 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure (Continued):
 The presence of the pendant phenyl (C6H5) groups is key to the
properties of polystyrene.
 Solid polystyrene is transparent, owing to these large, ring-shaped
molecular groups, which prevent the polymer chains from packing
into close, crystalline arrangements.
 In addition, the phenyl rings restrict rotation of the chains around
the carbon-carbon bonds, lending the polymer its noted rigidity.

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 Raw polystyrene pellets:

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 Products:

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 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC):
 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a synthetic resin made from the polymerization of vinyl
chloride.
 Second only to polyethylene among the plastics in production and consumption,
PVC is used in an enormous range of domestic and industrial products, from
raincoats and shower curtains to window frames and indoor plumbing.
 A lightweight, rigid plastic in its pure form, it is also manufactured in a flexible
“plasticized” form.
 Pure PVC finds application in the construction trades, where its rigidity, strength,
and flame resistance are useful in pipes, conduits, siding, window frames, and door
frames. It is also blow-molded into clear, transparent bottles.

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 Chemical Composition And Molecular Structure:
 Vinyl chloride (CH2=CHCl), also known as chloroethylene, is most often obtained
by reacting ethylene with oxygen and hydrogen chloride over a copper catalyst.
Or produced from HCl (hydrochloric acid) and C2H2 (acetylene).
 It is a toxic and carcinogenic gas that is handled under special protective
procedures.
 PVC is made by subjecting vinyl chloride to highly reactive compounds known as
free-radical initiators.
 Under the action of the initiators, the double bond in the vinyl chloride monomers
(single-unit molecules) is opened, and one of the resultant single bonds is used to
link together thousands of vinyl chloride monomers to form the repeating units of
polymers (large, multiple-unit molecules).
 The chemical structure of the vinyl chloride repeating units is:

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 Raw Polyvinyl chloride pellets:

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 Products:

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 Phenol Formaldehyde (resin):
 Phenol-formaldehyde resin, also called phenolic resin, any of a number of
synthetic resins made by reacting phenol (an aromatic alcohol derived from
benzene) with formaldehyde (a reactive gas derived from methane).
 Phenol-formaldehyde resins were the first completely synthetic polymers to be
commercialized.
 In the first decades of the 20th century, Bakelite, a trademarked phenolic plastic,
revolutionized the market for molded and laminated parts for use in electrical
equipment.
 Phenolics are still very important industrial polymers, though their most common
use today is in adhesives for the bonding of plywood and other structural wood
products.

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 Epoxy resin:
 A wide range of epoxy resins are produced industrially. The raw
materials for epoxy resin production are today
largely petroleum derived, although some plant derived sources are
now becoming commercially available.
 Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including metal coatings, use
in electronics/electrical components/LEDs, high tension electrical
insulators, paint brush manufacturing, fiber-reinforced
plastic materials and structural adhesives.

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1. What are the main chemical compositions of plastics?
2. How many types of polymer classified?
3. How many states of thermoplastics when heated?
4. If we want to reshape thermoplastics until what state should we heat it?
5. what does it mean by the term “chemical decomposition”?
6. Does thermoset (duroplastics) experience a thermoelastic state or not when
heated?
7. What is the maximum temperature for the use of polyvinyl chloride?
8. What is polymer blend?
9. How does injection moulding process work?
10. Raise some products made of PVC? 79
Q&A
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