High-tech applications, plastic

It is now a common feeling that our world cannot survive as it is without plastics [1]. Starting from 1930, when the macromolecular concept started to gain acceptance in the scientific community [2], the advances in polymer science have been so striking that plastics have invaded almost every aspect of modern human life, both as daily materials and as sophisticated substrates able to cover high-tech applications [3]. A very easy and simple way to check this assertion is to visit the The Macrogalleria web site (1st floor) [4] where an extensive exemplification of the most common and important plastic applications in different fields is provided in a really immediate and impressive way. 

PBI is an engineering plastic used only for specialized and high-tech applications. Consumption varies according to the country. It is mainly used in high-tech sectors aircraft and aerospace, semiconductor and vacuum industries, electricity and electronics. For example ... 

Additionally, due to small mass and volume of the nanofibre veils, it introduces almost negligible amount of addition of mass and volume, which is critical in thin-ply application where high-tech reinforced plastic parts are required. It also showed some promising improvement in resistance against fatigue and vibration properties of plastic parts in service. 

Connectors, switches, electric distributors, fuse boxes and other electric fittings need a subtle balance of electrical and mechanical properties, durability, cost and aesthetics. This broad field creates fierce competition not only between engineering thermoplastics and SMC/BMC for the main applications but also with polypropylene and polyethylene or PVC for the lower performance parts and, at the opposite end of the scale, with high-tech plastics such as polyetherketone, polyetherimide, liquid crystal polymers. .. For example, without claiming to be exhaustive ... 

Polyimides are engineering plastics used only for specialized and technical applications. The applications are always high-tech. The price and the difficulty of transformation limit the use of polyimides to well-targeted applications taking advantage of the high performance of these materials. 

As pointed out earlier, there m a legion of applications for metallized plastics, ranging from the very mundane (e.g., as decorative coatings) to high tech (in microelectronics). Even a cursory look at the current literature will evince that the topic of metallized places is pursued with very keen interest, and all signals indicate that this high tempo of interest and R D activity will continue unabated. 

Composites from natural fibres have not yet been fully established in high-tech industry because a sufficient quality for engineering applications is not adequately offered (e.g. by Natural Fiber Composites Inc. and North Wood Plastics). Fibres are available from many plants (highlighted of high quality) for example, wood, abaca, coir, cotton, flax, hemp, henequen, istle, jute, kenaf, ramie, sisal or sunn. 

Polyethylene and polypropylene are ubiquitous commodity plastics found in applications varying from household items such as grocery bags, containers, toys and appliance housings, to high-tech products such as engineering plastics, automotive parts, medical appliances and even prosthetic implants. They can be either amorphous or highly crystalline, and behave as thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomers or thermosets. 

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