Engineering Chemistry

CHY1701

Dr. Krishnendu Biswas, SAS, #2, I Floor Annex

#1245, krishnendu.biswas@vit.ac.in
 Module 7

 Thermoplastic & Thermo setting resins –

comparative properties.
 Properties and engineering applications of ABS,
PVC, Teflon and Bakelite.
 Compression, injection, extrusion, Transfer moulding
methods of plastics.
 Conducting polymers: Intrinsic, extrinsic and doped
polymers - Polyacetylene-mechanism of
conduction- Applications of conducting polymers in
LEDs, Mobile phones, sensors, self-cleaning windows.
 Introduction
 Natural polymer - proteins, cellulose (carbohydrates),
silk, wool, cotton, rubber, jute, etc.
 Man’s eagerness to compete with nature has led to the
synthesis of polymers.
 Latter part of 20th century – plastic age
 Polymers with wide range of properties were made -
softness like silk and wool and strong like steel.
 We find use of plastics in our daily life starting with -
brushes, combs, mugs, buckets, ballpoint pens, chairs,
carry bags, packing materials, raincoats, water tanks,
polyester etc.
 Synthetic polymers are generally called as ‘plastics’
 The word ‘plastics’ derived from Greek word
“Plastikos” – ‘fit for moulding’
 Plastics: Polymers which can be moulded into desired
articles by application of pressure and temperature. Eg.
PVC, plexiglass.

 All plastics are polymer while all polymer are not necessarily
plastics!

 Disposing plastics – great threat

 Polymer (macromolecule) – molecule with high molecular

mass

 Polymers – built up by linking large number of small

molecules (called as monomer)

 Polymer - Greek ‘poly’ – many; ‘mer’ – units or parts

 Thermoplastics
 Linear, long chain polymer,
flexible, softened on heating and
hardened on cooling reversibly.
Can be processed repeatedly.
 Chains are linked by weaker
intermolecular forces and there
is no cross-linking so the chains
can move when heated, becomes
hard on cooling and weak links
reformed.
 Thermoplastics can be crystalline
or amorphous
 Eg. PE, PP, PVC, PS, PTFE
(teflon) etc.
 Applications: Polyethylene
buckets, polystyrene cups, nylon
ropes etc.
 Thermosetting plastics
 Thermosetting polymers: Rigid,
3D cross-linked polymer, get
hardened during moulding and
once shaped, cannot be softened
by the application of heat.
 Thermosetting polymers –
different polymer chains held
through strong covalent bonds
forming 3D network. Once set
cannot be remoulded.
 Excess heat char the material.
 Eg. Phenol-formaldehyde, urea-
formaldehyde, melamine-
formaldehyde, epoxy-resin etc.
 Application: Bakelite, electrical
switches, melamine cutlery etc.
 Thermoplastic polymer Thermosetting polymer
Softened on heating Do not softened on
heating
Polymer chains linked by Polymer chains linked by
weak intermolecular forces strong covalent bonds
Formed mostly by addition Formed mostly by
polymerization condensation
polymerization
Can be reshaped and reused Cannot be reshaped and
reused
Usually soft, weak and less Usually, hard, strong and
brittle more brittle
Can be reclaimed from waste Cannot be reclaimed from
waste
Usually soluble in some Insoluble in almost all
organic solvents organic solvents
 Important industrial polymers - ABS

• Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

Preparation
 Butadiene is emulsion polymerized to form a latex.
 Styrene and acrylonitrile monomer is added along with an
initiator.
 The grafting process is done by heating the mixture at 40 – 85
°C at atmospheric pressure.
Properties:
 ABS is a thermoplastic polymer
 Color is translucent ivory to white
 Chemically inert to aqueous acid, aqueous alkali, alcohol, vegetable
oils, mineral oils but swelled by acetic acid, carbon tetra chloride
and aromatic hydrocarbons
 Soluble in esters, ketones, ethylene dichloride etc
 Glass transition Temperature 105 °C
 It is flammable like wood at high temperature
 It is important for mechanical toughness and impact resistance
 Variety of modification is possible with variation of composition
for the purpose of mechanical, thermal and electrical properties
 ABS can be recycled
Applications of ABS:
 ABS combines the strength and rigidity of acrylonitrile and
styrene polymers with the toughness of polybutadiene rubber. Cost
of producing ABS is roughly twice the cost of producing
polystyrene, it is considered superior for its hardness, gloss,
toughness, and electrical insulation properties.

 Used for musical instrument like recorders, plastic clarinets

 Golf club heads for its toughness and impact resistance

 Medical devices for blood access

 Electrical and electronic assemblies

 Buffer edging for furniture

 Luggage and protective carrying cases

Drawbacks

Stable till 400C – decompose to constituents which are carcinogen


PVC
Preparation : Suspension or emulsion polymerization of vinyl
chloride in presence of benzoyl peroxide or H2O2 in autoclave
under pressure.

Properties – It is linear or only slightly branched

 Colourless, odorless, non-inflammable solid
 Chemically inert powder, resistant to light, O2, acids and alkalis
 Insoluble in water, alcohols and hydrocarbons. But soluble in
chlorinated hydrocarbons and ketones.
 High softening point, greater stiffness and rigidity but is brittle.
 One of the cheapest and most widely used plastic globally.
 PVC – degrades at 200 °C with evolution of HCl
 PVC – as such very tough material and difficult to process, hence
it is compounded with plasticizer
Applications - Cable insulation, equipments parts, pipes, laminated
material and in fiber manufacture.
 Plasticizer: Material added to increase the
plasticity and flexibility.
 Mechanism: Neutralizes part of intermolecular
forces of attraction between macromolecules –
imparts greater freedom of movement between
polymer chains – increasing flexibility and
plasticity – same time reducing strength and
decreasing chemical resistance.
 Eg. vegetable oils, camphor, ester of stearic, oleic
or phthalic acids, tributyl phosphate, triphenyl
phosphate, dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate etc.
 Unplasticized PVC: Superior chemical resistance
and rigidity but it is brittle. It is used for making
sheets, employed for tank-linings, light-fittings,
safety helmets, refrigerator components, cycle and
motor cycle mudguards.
 Plasticized PVC: Used for making rain-coats,
table-cloths and curtains, electrical insulation,
toys, tool-handle, radio-components, chemical
containers, thermal insulating foam (used in
building cinemas, aircrafts etc.), conveyor belts etc.
 Teflon (PTFE)
Polytetrafluoroethylene-PTFE (Teflon)
 It is a thermoplastic.
 Water-emulsion of TFE is heated under pressure in presence of
benzoyl peroxide. Polymerization is highly exothermic.

 Branching is not observed - breakage of –C-F bond is difficult.

 Teflon is registered trade name of Du Pont company.
 Teflon is called wonder plastic because of number of
technologically important properties
 High degree of crystallinity (95%), high density
 High softening point (327 °C)
 Practically insoluble in all solvents
 Chemically inert and not attacked by acids, alkalis, oxidizing and
reducing agents.
Properties
 Not wetted by oil or water
 High resistance to impact, wear and tear
 Thermally stable
 Has good electrical insulating property.
 Mechanical strength of PTFE unchanged over -
100 to 350 °C
 Out of 1000 chemicals tried, only molten alkali
found to react with teflon
Applications
 Used for insulation of motors, transformers,
cables and other electrical appliances.
 Used in coating non-stick cooking utensils,
bakery trays and frying pans.
 Used in making gaskets, filters, pump parts,
chemical-carrying pipes, tubing and tanks, etc.
 Its lubricating capacity over a wide range of
temperature is used in high and low
temperature lubrication.
 Bakelite
• Preparation: Phenol and formaldehyde in a mixture of 1:3
molecular ratio undergo a condensation polymerization in
presence of base as catalyst.
• The reaction without heat treatment is found to form
straight chain phenol-formaldehyde resin but on heat
treatment the cross-linked polymerization forms Bakelite.
Properties:
• Bakelite is a thermosetting polymer
• Electrically and thermally insulator
• Color is amber and has characteristic
odor
• Slightly swelled in moisture but
attacked by alkali
• It is brittle in nature not flexible
Uses or applications:
• Electric insulator parts like switches,
plugs, switch-boards, heater-handles,
etc.
• Moulded articles like telephone parts,
cabinets for radio and television etc.
• For impregnating fabrics, wood,
asbestos and paper,
• For making bearing for propeller shafts
used paper industry and rolling mills.
 Moulding of plastics into
articles
 Moulding – fabricating plastics into desired-shaped
articles.
Different methods of moulding
 Compression
 Transfer
 Injection
 Extrusion
 Methods of moulding depend on thermal behavior of
resin i.e. whether thermosetting and thermoplastic.
 Compression and Transfer moulding methods are
mostly used for fabrication of Thermosetting plastics
 Injection and Extrusion moulding methods are mostly
used for fabrication of Thermoplastics
 Compression moulding
 Involves application of heat
and pressure to mould the
compounded resin.

 This method is suitable for

both thermoplastics and
thermosetting plastics

 Mould made of 2 halves.

Upper and lower halves.

 Lower half mainly has the

cavity in the shape of the
Bottom moulding part of the die with cavity
(the shape of the cavity decides the shape
article to be moulded of the final product)
 The upper half has a projection which fits into the cavity
 Moulding temperature up to 200 °C and 70 kg/cm2
pressure can be applied.
 Mould is pressed closed after placing the compounded
material (powder or pellet) under the required temp. and
pressure.
 Cavities in the mould get filled up by fluidised plastic.
 After prescribed time the mould can be opened to release
the mould article
 Material is removed after cooling.
 Curing is done by heating (for TS materials) and cooling
(for TP types)

Applications
 Manufacturing Mobile Phone Cases and Battery Trays are
done by using this method
 Transfer moulding
 Resin ingredients mixture is preheated in
a heated chamber maintained at
minimum temperature at which moulding
mixture becomes plastic.
 It is then forced through a small orifice
into the mould by using a plunger
working at high pressure.
 As a result of friction that develops at
orifice, the temperature of the material at
the time of ejection rises to such an
extent, mould material becomes almost a
liquid.
 It easily flows into the mould which is also
heated up to required curing temperature.
 After the setting of the plastics, moulded
material gets ejected mechanically.
 This method can be used for making
complicated shaped thermosetting plastic
articles.
Advantages
 More complicated shapes can be fabricated by this
method
 Blistering is almost eliminated
 Finishing cost of fabricated article is almost
eliminated – less expensive
 Fine wires and glass fibers can be inserted into the
mould.
 Shrinkage and distortion are minimum – mechanical
strength higher

Applications
 Used in manufacturing fibre reinforced polymers,
Composites
 Injection moulding
 A process in which a thermoplastic Suitable for moulding
material is injected under pressure thermoplastics
into a closed mould system where
it solidified to the shape of the
mould.

 Compounded plastic resin in the

form of powder, granules or pellets
is fed into the horizontal hot
cylinder through hopper.

 The temperature makes the resin

to get softened and the pressure
applied through the piston plunger
push the molten material into the
mould fitted at the end of the
injection mould at a regulated
rate.
 After the mould is filled with the molten plastic material under
pressure, it is cooled by cold water circulation and then opened
to eject the moulded article.
 The whole process can repeated by automatic arrangements.
 This method is applicable mainly to thermoplastic resins only.

Advantages
 Heating can be done by oil or electricity
 High speed production
 Very low loss of material
 Low mould cost and finishing cost

Applications
 Telephones, buckets, dustbins, etc. made
by this technique
 Making of Car parts
Mould
 Manufacturing bottle caps
 Extrusion moulding
 Molten plastic material is forced through a die which
produces a continuous product in the form of final product.
 Shape of final product is determined by the shape of the die
opening.
 Used mainly for continuous moulding of thermoplastic
materials into articles of uniform cross-section like pipes,
rods, strips, insulated electric cables, sheets, hoses, films etc.
 Plastic material is fed through the hopper into the
cylindrical body with electrical heating.
 Molten plastic resin materials are pushed forward into die
using a revolving screw arrangement.
 Thus molten plastic extrude out of the die in the required
shape. The extrude product pushed out continuously.
 Extrusion process used for coating cables with PVC and
other plastics and also used to make hoses.
Suitable for moulding thermoplastics