Polymers and Glues

Glues are often polymers, long-chained molecules that bind things together either by reacting with them or by trapping them in a tangle. 

---

How can a single chlorine atom react with a thousand or more other atoms It does this through a radical chain reaction, similar to that used to make a number of industrial materials such as polymers and glues. In each stage of the reaction a radical (of one form or another) is preserved or is easily re-formed by UV the chlorine radical is regenerated to knock out more ozone. A minority of reactions also, eventually, knock out the chlorine radical too (e.g. as the acidic gas HCl). 

Polyvinyl alcohol is a main ingredient in latex paints, hairsprays, shampoos, and glues. It forms polymers and copolymers with other monomers, such as vinyl acetate and methyl methacrylate... 

Figure 6.8 Illustration of colloid-templated nanoparticle assemblies. The process involves the layer-by-layer adsorption of charged polymers and oppositely charged nanoparticles onto the surfaces of the colloidal template. The colloidal core particles may then be removed to generate a hollow sphere of nanoparticles, held together by electrostatic interactions with the linear polymer glue ...

Way back in 1968 Dr. Silver was working for 3M on pressure-sensitive adhesives. These are glues that bond instantly to a surface but can be removed without destroying that surface. Today we are very familiar with such products peel-off stickers are everywhere. In 1968, however, they were virtually unknown. Scientists did realize that certain polymers, like natural rubber, could be peeled off under the right conditions, but they were not ideal. So Silver went to work. He investigated various synthetic polymers and eventually came up with one that was a weak adhesive and could be pulled off a surface. The difficulty was that it would not always pull off cleanly, and Silver lost interest. 

Syntactic foams have been made from organosilicone polymers and glass, ceramic, or polymer microspheres 23,100). They are used mainly for heat insulation and ablation coating101). For the latter, the two components are sprayed together onto the exterior of rockets, and cold setting silicone glues are used to improve ablation102). Syntactic materials with carbon microspheres and silicones have also been proposed 39>. 

Super glue is a polymer of methyl cyanoacrylate. Because both the cyano and carbonyl groups of the monomer help stabilize carbanions, this compound is sensitive to polymerization by the anionic mechanism. The tube of glue contains very pure monomer, which does not polymerize until it contacts an initiator. However, contact with any nucleophile causes rapid polymerization. Therefore, when the tube is opened, polymerization is initiated by water in the air, by SiOH groups on a glass surface, by FeOH groups on an iron surface, or by various nucleophiles that are part of the proteins in skin. The adhesion between the polymer and the surface to which it is applied is very strong because the polymer chains are covalently linked to the nucleophiles that are part of the surface ... 

Poly (vinyl alcohol) is soluble in water, unlike almost all other polymers, and that gives it many uses in glues and even as a solublizing agent in chemical reactions to make other polymers. Poly(vinyl acetate) is used in paints. 

In the examples presented below, polymer-paper systems are examined for cases where there is complete impregnation of the substrate to form what behaves as a single component (poly(vinyl alcohol), soluble nylon, and Regnal) for cases where penetration is limited and the polymer and substrate behave in a generally separate manner (glues) and for cases where a range of behaviors—from apparent interactive to apparent independent—is observed although penetration is limited (poly-(vinyl acetates)). 

All paper samples for the poly (vinyl acetate)/paper and glue/paper studies were Whatman chromatography paper 1, basis weight 87 g/m2, thickness 0.16 mm, medium flow rate, supplied in 0.5-in. X 300-ft rolls, cut in 6-in. lengths. The materials used to prepare the polymer-paper composite systems are listed in Table I. Complete descriptions including suppliers7 comments are provided in earlier studies (1,2,3). 

Carbohydrate polymers historically have been used for or in adhesives. Indeed, my first encounter with adhesives, and possibly your first encounter, involved the use of a carbohydrate polymer to glue paper. As a child, I used a paste made from flour and water to glue paper-mache into some very interesting forms. And as a parent, I used this same technique to build many a tunnel and hill for my son s miniature train layout, thus passing along (in disguised form) a bit of knowledge about the use of carbohydrate polymers as an adhesive that was surely first discovered before recorded history. 

Tetrahydrofuran is a solvent used in natural and synthetic polymers and resins such as polyvinyl chloride and vinylidene chloride copolymers. It is also used in the manufacture of lacquers, glues, paints, and inks. 

Pilot SXS. P ilot] Sodium xylene sulfonate coupling agent hydrotrt, solubiizer, dipersant solvent stabilize for liq. cleanm, organic polymers and dyestuffs, petrol, industry, pulping, animal glues. 

---