Engineered plastics High performance polymers

Poly (oxy-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) (poly (phen-ylene oxide), PPO) is widely used as a high-performance engineering plastic, since the polymer has excellent chemical and physical properties, e.g., a high Tg (ca. 210 °C) and mechanical toughness. PPO was first prepared from 2,6-dimethylphenol monomer using a copper/amine catalyst system.25 The HRP-catalyzed polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol gave the polymer consisting of exclusively oxy-l,4-phe-nylene units.26... 

In spite of their utility and versatility, the new high performance polymers will not displace general purpose thermoplastics, classic thermosets, ceramics or metals unless there is a demonstratable superiority. Fortunately, there are many applications for high performance thermoplastics for which no other material is adequate. Hence, the annual production of high performance thermoplastics in the late 1980 s will exceed the production of all plastics in the 1940 s. This unprecedented growth of these engineering polymers will be based entirely on their performance. 

After decreasing the research capacity in the fields of liquid crystalline and high-performance polymers at the beginning of the 1990s the emphasis in development work was placed on the improvement of commodities by special polymerisation techniques and the modification of engineering plastics. The basis of successful research was improved macromolecular and engineering know-how including analytical methods. 

Polymers and Related Products synthetic resins resin and polymer intermediates resin products adhesives emulsions plasticisers fluorochemi-cals. In general the overseas activities are undertaken by Reichhold Specialty Plastics and Compounds engineering and high performance plastics colourants molded plastic products ... 

These polymers have completely different properties from the low carbon monoxide photo degradable polymers where CO is distributed randomly along the polymer chain. The high molecular weight polymers have properties similar to engineering plastics. They presumably can be made at low cost and compete with nylon and other high performance polymers. 

V. Mittal (Ed.), High Performance Polymers and Engineering Plastics, Wiley and Scrivener PubUshing, USA, 2011. 

Aromatic polyimides are an important class of high-performance polymers with interesting properties such as good chemical and solvent resistance, high thermal and mechanical properties, and high optical transparency. These excellent properties make them suitable for engineering plastics to be used in... 

Electronics are expected to contribute as much as 20% of total vehicle costs in the private car sector by the year 2000. This is an increasingly important application area for plastics not so much in terms of volume (in fact the electronics revolution is often characterized by miniaturization), but in terms of the opportunities it provides for high performance materials across the spectrum from traditional engineering plastics to speciality polymers. 

In principle, engineering plastics and high performance polymers are affected by these trends in the same way, as the margin development for polyesters and polyacetal shows (see Figure 1.10.)... 

During the last years, several new families of high performance polymers and engineering plastics have been reported which find enhanced application potential in the more challenging application areas like aerospace, defense, energy, electronics, automotives etc. as compared to the commodity or conventional polymers. Such polymers provide improved set of properties like higher... 

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