Polymer stabilization chemical resistance stabilizers

The high degree of crystallization and the thermal stability of the bond between the benzene ring and sulfur are the two properties responsible for the polymer s high melting point, thermal stability, inherent flame retardance, and good chemical resistance. There are no known solvents of poIy(phenyIene sulfide) that can function below 205°C. 

Poly(vinyl chloride). PVC is one of the most important and versatile commodity polymers (Table 4). It is inherently flame retardant and chemically resistant and has found numerous and varied appHcations, principally because of its low price and capacity for being modified. Without modification, processibiUty, heat stabiUty, impact strength, and appearance all are poor. Thermal stabilizers, lubricants, plasticizers, impact modifiers, and other additives transform PVC into a very versatile polymer (257,258). 

This polymer is typical of the aliphatic polyolefins in its good electrical insulation and chemical resistance. It has a melting point and stiffness intermediate between high-density and low-density polyethylene and a thermal stability intermediate between polyethylene and polypropylene. 

PPO forms one of a group of rigid, heat-resistant, more-or-less selfextinguishing polymers with a good electrical and chemical resistance, low water absorption and very good dimensional stability. This has led to a number of applications in television such as tuner strips, microwave insulation components and transformer housings. The excellent hydrolytic stability has also led to applications in water distribution and water treatment applications such as in pumps, water meters, sprinkler systems and hot water tanks. It is also used in valves of drink vending machines. 

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. 

Articles made from polypropylene have good electrical and chemical resistance and low water absorption. Its other useful characteristics are its light weight (lowest thermoplastic polymer density), high abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, high impact strength, and no toxicity. Table 12-3 shows the properties of polypropylene. 

Silicone polymers having high heat stability and excellent chemical resistance are available. They are very expensive and hence are not commonly found in paint coatings. 

Engineering resins are polymers that have outstanding physical properties such as thermal stability, chemical resistance, self-lubrication, weather resistance, etc. Generally, they are thermoplastics. They are gaining in importance in automobile manufacture as metal replacements to provide lighter weight cars. 

Optical fibres composed of plastics are also transparent in the visible spectral region but optical losses reach 102 - 103 dB/km13. Their refractive index varies from 1.35 to 1.6 depending on the kind of polymer used (e.g. polymethymethacrylate PMMA -1.49). The chemical resistance is much worse than that of silica fibres and thermal stability is incomparable. On the other hand, low temperature processes of plastic fibre preparation allow us mix the starting polymer with organic dyes which enables the production of luminescent fibres suitable e.g. for fluorescence-based sensing13. 

Poly(benzimidazole)s possess excellent thermal stability, flame resistance, and outstanding chemical resistance. The solubility of hexafluoroisopropyli-dene-unit-containing poly(benzimidazole)s is remarkably improved.24 They are readily soluble in strong acids such as formic acid, concentrated sulfuric acid, and methanesulfonic acid and in aprotic polar solvents such as DMAc and NMP. The polymer from tetramine (23) is soluble even in m-cresol and pyridine. 

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which is a water soluble polyhidroxy polymer, is one of the widely used synthetic polymers for a variety of medical applications [197] because of easy preparation, excellent chemical resistance, and physical properties. [198] But it has poor stability in water because of its highly hydrophilic character. Therefore, to overcome this problem PVA should be insolubilized by copolymerization [43], grafting [199], crosslinking [200], and blending [201], These processes may lead a decrease in the hydrophilic character of PVA. Because of this reason these processes should be carried out in the presence of hydrophilic polymers. Polyfyinyl pyrrolidone), PVP, is one of the hydrophilic, biocompatible polymer and it is used in many biomedical applications [202] and separation processes to increase the hydrophilic character of the blended polymeric materials [203,204], An important factor in the development of new materials based on polymeric blends is the miscibility between the polymers in the mixture, because the degree of miscibility is directly related to the final properties of polymeric blends [205],... 

Poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) is an aromatic, high performance, semicrystalline polymer with extremely good thermal stability, chemical resistance, and electrical and mechanical properties. This polymer shows little solubility in organic solvents due to the crystallinity. One of the first ways to characterize PEEK was by sulfonating the polymer. By adding sulfonic acid groups to the backbone, the crystallinity decreased and solubility increased.Commercially available Victrex appears to be one of the more interesting poly(arylene ether) s used for postmodification. 

With the advent of the soluble stereoregulating catalysts, so-called older polymers have been synthesized with additional control over the structure giving products with enhanced strength and dimensional stability. Amorphous PS is relatively brittle, requiring a plasticizer to allow it to be flexible. The use of soluble stereoregulating catalysts allowed the synthesis of sPS with a I m of about 270°C and a Tg of about 100°C with good solvent and chemical resistance. DOW commercialized sPS under the trade name Questra in 1997. It is used in specialty electrical and under-the-hood automotive applications. 

Uses. Neopentyl glycol is used extensively as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of polyester resins (see Alkyd resins), polyurethane polyols (see Urethane POLYMERS), synthetic lubricants, polymeric plasticizers (qv), and other polymers. It imparts a combination of desirable properties to properly formulated esterification products, including low color, good weathering and chemical resistance, and improved thermal and hydrolytic stability. 

Nylon-12,12. Nylon-12,12 [36497-34-4], [36348-71-7] was introduced into the marketplace by Du Pont in the late 1980s (174). This polymer possesses very low moisture absorption, high dimensional stability, and excellent chemical resistance, with a moderately high melt point (Tm = 185° C) (175). Its manufacture begins with the formation of dodecanedioic acid produced from the trimerization of butadiene in a process identical to that used in the manufacture of nylon-6,12. The other starting material, 1,12-dodecanediamine, is prepared in a two-step process that first converts the dodecanedioic acid to a diamide, and then continues to dehydrate the diamide to the dinitrile. In the second step, the dinitrile is then hydrogenated to the diamine with hydrogen in the presence of a suitable catalyst. 

Chemical Resistance of LCPs. Certain liquid crystal polymers (eg, Vectra) have extremely high chemical resistance to a variety of aggressive chemicals and solvents. Table 18 shows the chemical stability of Vectra test-bars to various agents (244). 

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