Plastic materials chemical resistance

An extensive new Section 10 is devoted to polymers, rubbers, fats, oils, and waxes. A discussion of polymers and rubbers is followed by the formulas and key properties of plastic materials. Eor each member and type of the plastic families there is a tabulation of their physical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties and characteristics. A similar treatment is accorded the various types of rubber materials. Chemical resistance and gas permeability constants are also given for rubbers and plastics. The section concludes with various constants of fats, oils, and waxes. 

Most metals, concrete, and other constmction materials are corroded by hydrobromic acid. Suitable materials of constmction include some fiber glass-reinforced plastics, some chemically resistant mbbers, PVC, Teflon, polypropylene, and ceramic-, mbber-, and glass-lined steel. Metals that are used include HasteUoy B, HasteUoy C, tantalum, and titanium. The HasteUoys can only be used at ambient temperatures. Liquid hydrogen bromide under pressure in glass at or above room temperature can attack the glass resulting in unexpected shattering. 

Phenol-formaldehyde (phenolic) plastics The chemical resistance is affected by the phenol used, cresols giving the best acid resistance whilst xylenols are often used to obtain the best alkali resistance. For chemical-resistant applications the fillers used in moulding powder and reinforcing material in laminates should be inorganic, e.g. asbestos or glass. The resins are usually dark in colour. 

ISO 6252 1992 Plastics - Determination of environmental stress cracking (ESC) -Constant-tensile-stress method ISO/TR 7620 1986 Rubber materials - Chemical resistance... 

For most thermoplastic materials, the time to occurrence of stress cracking is drastically reduced if they are in contact with media in addition to stress loads this case is also called media supported stress cracking or ESC (= Environmental Stress Cracking). It is indicative that in many cases the plastics are chemically resistant to the media in their stress-free state. 

Tetraethylene glycol may be used direcdy as a plasticizer or modified by esterification with fatty acids to produce plasticizers (qv). Tetraethylene glycol is used directly to plasticize separation membranes, such as siHcone mbber, poly(vinyl acetate), and ceUulose triacetate. Ceramic materials utilize tetraethylene glycol as plasticizing agents in resistant refractory plastics and molded ceramics. It is also employed to improve the physical properties of cyanoacrylate and polyacrylonitrile adhesives, and is chemically modified to form polyisocyanate, polymethacrylate, and to contain siHcone compounds used for adhesives. 

The chemical resistance and excellent light stabiUty of poly(methyl methacrylate) compared to two other transparent plastics is illustrated in Table 5 (25). Methacrylates readily depolymerize with high conversion, ie, 95%, at >300° C (1,26). Methyl methacrylate monomer can be obtained in high yield from mixed polymer materials, ie, scrap. 

Resistance to Chemical Environments and Solubility. As a rule, amorphous plastics are susceptible, to various degrees, to cracking by certain chemical environments when the plastic material is placed under stress. The phenomenon is referred to as environmental stress cracking (ESC) and the resistance of the polymer to failure by this mode is known as environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR). The tendency of a polymer to undergo ESC depends on several factors, the most important of which are appHed stress, temperature, and the concentration of the aggressive species. 

Other Materials. Benzoguanamine and acetoguanamine may be used in place of melamine to achieve greater solubiHty in organic solvents and greater chemical resistance. Aniline and toluenesulfonamide react with formaldehyde to form thermoplastic resins. They are not used alone, but rather as plasticizers (qv) for other resins including melamine and urea—formaldehyde. The plasticizer may be made separately or formed in situ during preparation of the primary resin. 

It is also not tme that vinyl plastics decompose in landfills and give off vinyl chloride monomer, because like all plastics, vinyl is an extremely stable landfill material. It resists chemical attack and degradation, and is so resistant to the conditions present in landfills that it is often used to make landfill liners. On those occasions when vinyl chloride monomer is detected in landfills, it typically can be traced to the presence of other chemicals and solvents. 

Thermosetting unsaturated polyester resins constitute the most common fiber-reinforced composite matrix today. According to the Committee on Resin Statistics of the Society of Plastics Industry (SPl), 454,000 t of unsaturated polyester were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990. These materials are popular because of thek low price, ease of use, and excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties. Over 227 t of phenoHc resins were used in fiber-reinforced plastics in 1990 (1 3). PhenoHc resins (qv) are used when thek inherent flame retardance, high temperature resistance, or low cost overcome the problems of processing difficulties and lower mechanical properties. 

The most chemical-resistant plastic commercially available today is tetrafluoroethylene or TFE (Teflon). This thermoplastic is practically unaffected by all alkahes and acids except fluorine and chlorine gas at elevated temperatures and molten metals. It retains its properties up to 260°C (500°F). Chlorotrifluoroethylene or CTFE (Kel-F, Plaskon) also possesses excellent corrosion resistance to almost all acids and alkalies up to 180°C (350°F). A Teflon derivative has been developed from the copolymerization of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene. This resin, FEP, has similar properties to TFE except that it is not recommended for continuous exposures at temperatures above 200°C (400°F). Also, FEP can be extruded on conventional extrusion equipment, while TFE parts must be made by comphcated powder-metallurgy techniques. Another version is poly-vinylidene fluoride, or PVF2 (Kynar), which has excellent resistance to alkahes and acids to 150°C (300°F). It can be extruded. A more recent development is a copolymer of CTFE and ethylene (Halar). This material has excellent resistance to strong inorganic acids, bases, and salts up to 150°C. It also can be extruded. 

The chemical resistance of a plastics material is as good as its weakest point. If it is intended that a plastics material is to be used in the presence of a certain chemical then each ingredient must be unaffected by the chemical. In the case of a polymer molecule, its chemical reactivity will be determined by the nature of chemical groups present. However, by its very nature there are aspects of chemical reactivity which find no parallel in the chemistry of small molecules and these will be considered in due course. 

Some corrosion-resistant materials for concentrated aqueous solutions and acids are given in Tables 4.10 and 4.11. The resistance of some common polymers to organic solvents is summarized in Table 4.12. The attack process is accelerated by an increase in temperature. The chemical resistance of a range of common plastics is summarized in Table 4.13. 

Plastics are highly resistant to a variety of chemicals. They have a high strength per unit weight of material therefore, they are of prime importance to the designer of chemical process equipment. Their versatility in properties has provided new and innovative designs of equipment. They are excellent substitutes for expensive nonferrous metals. 

This is used most often in process plants. It is a tough, low-cost material with probably the widest range of chemical resistance of any of the low-cost plastics. On a volume basis, PVC is more favorable than polypropylene because the modulus of PVC is considerably higher than that of polypropylene, so it will form more rigid structures when used at the same thickness. On a weight basis it is not as favorable as PVC because it has a specific gravity of 1.4 compared with 0.92 for polypropylene. 

Liquid crystal polymers (LCP) are a recent arrival on the plastics materials scene. They have outstanding dimensional stability, high strength, stiffness, toughness and chemical resistance all combined with ease of processing. LCPs are based on thermoplastic aromatic polyesters and they have a highly ordered structure even in the molten state. When these materials are subjected to stress the molecular chains slide over one another but the ordered structure is retained. It is the retention of the highly crystalline structure which imparts the exceptional properties to LCPs. 

Aminos. There are two basic types of amino plastics - urea formaldehyde and melamine formaldehyde. They are hard, rigid materials with good abrasion resistance and their mechanical characteristics are sufficiently good for continuous use at moderate temperatures (up to 100°C). Urea formaldehyde is relatively inexpensive but moisture absorption can result in poor dimensional stability. It is generally used for bottle caps, electrical switches, plugs, utensil handles and trays. Melamine formaldehyde has lower water absorption and improved temperature and chemical resistance. It is typically used for tableware, laminated worktops and electrical fittings. 

As regards the general behaviour of polymers, it is widely recognised that crystalline plastics offer better environmental resistance than amorphous plastics. This is as a direct result of the different structural morphology of these two classes of material (see Appendix A). Therefore engineering plastics which are also crystalline e.g. Nylon 66 are at an immediate advantage because they can offer an attractive combination of load-bearing capability and an inherent chemical resistance. In this respect the arrival of crystalline plastics such as PEEK and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) has set new standards in environmental resistance, albeit at a price. At room temperature there is no known solvent for PPS, and PEEK is only attacked by 98% sulphuric acid. 

The synthesis of new polymeric materials having complex properties has recently become of great practical importance to polymer chemistry and technology. The synthesis of new materials can be prepared by either their monomers or modification of used polymers in industry. Today, polystyrene (PS), which is widely used in industrial applications as polyolefins and polyvinylchlorides, is also used for the production of plastic materials, which are used instead of metals in technology. For this reason, it is important to synthesize different PS plastic materials. Among the modification of PS, two methods can be considered, viz. physical and chemical modifications. These methods are extensively used to increase physico-mechanical properties, such as resistance to strike, air, or temperature for the synthesizing of new PS plastic materials. 

Cellulose plastics These old established materials have limited chemical resistance. Ethyl cellulose is, however, often used in conjunction with... 

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