CHE417

Growth in applications of synthetic

polymers
• The growth in applications of synthetic polymers is truly impressive.
On a volumetric basis, current annual usage of polymers exceeds that
of metals. There are several reasons for the commercial and
technological importance of polymers:
• i. Plastics can be formed by molding into intricate part geometries,
usually with no further processing required. They are very compatible
with net shape processing.
• Plastics possess an attractive list of properties for many engineering
applications where strength is not a factor: (1) low density relative to
metals and ceramics; (2) good strengthto-weight ratios for certain (but
not all) polymers; (3) high corrosion resistance; and (4) low electrical
and thermal conductivity.
• iii. On a volumetric basis, polymers are cost-competitive with metals
• iv. On a volumetric basis, polymers generally require less energy to
produce than metals.
• v. This is generally true because the temperatures for working these
materials are much lower than for metals.
• vi. Certain plastics are translucent and/or transparent, which makes
them competitive with glass in some applications.
• vii. Polymers are widely used in composite materials
 Applications of organic Polymers
• Organic polymers are base materials for many important industries. They are
usually compounded with other ingredients to enable the desired balance of
properties to be achieved for any particular application. Indeed, the use of such
ingredients, or additives, has played an essential role in the commercial
development of many polymers.
• Organic polymers are widely used in the electronics industry as packaging
materials, as insulants, dielectrics, thermal transfer media, and to add protection to
fine joints and delicate components against vibration, mechanical and thermal
shock, and atmospheric pollutants.
• Organic polymer packing materials are chemically stable and are suitable for use in
an automated instrument.
• Organic polymers are important materials in gas sensing systems.
• Organic polymers have a comparatively high gas permeability. The gas transport
properties are dependent on the degree of crystallinity.
• Organic polymer with the integration of nano- and microparticles have
found multiple applications in the medical domain ranging from targeted
drug delivery to detection of tumors in the body.
• Organic polymers are used in various forms for obtaining stationary phases
in High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The polymers can be
used as small particles, similar to those obtained from hydrated silica, or can
be made in monoliths.
• Also, some polymers can be used as stationary phase as synthesized, or can
be used as a solid support that is further derivatized for obtaining the active
stationary phase.
Table 1: Comparison of polymer processing techniques for
thermoplastics and thermosets.
Table 2: Major Plastic Resins and Their Uses