Polymers in Modern Life

Scott G (1999) Polymers in modern life . Polymers and the Environment, Royal Society of Chemistry Paperbacks, Chapter 2. 

So the functions of polymers should be sought ever more widely in the times ahead, despite their extensive part in modern life already. Let us now peer briefly into properties and potentials which provide these new parts in forwarding the output of human minds and meanings. 

Polymers are a very important dass of substances in modern life. One method of polymerization, the joining of monomers to form polymers, is called step-reaction polymerization, or condensation polymerization. It produces polymers of moderate molecular mass. Another type of polymerization mechanism is chain-reaction polymerization, a three-step process involving initiation (reaction 27.16), propagation (reaction 27.17), and termination (reaction 27.18), producing polymers of high molecular mass. 

In this chapter we have introduced the basic principles underlying polymer extrusion. As we have seen, extruders have two primary purposes they convert polymer granules into a homogeneous molten stream that is pumped to a forming device. The forming devices can take many forms to make a wide variety of continuous products. Among the continuous products made by extrusion are films, pipes, and fibers, which are used in all manner of products that make modern life more convenient and comfortable. Each of the processes that we have described has multiple variants, both major and minor. In each of the sections... 

Modern life and civilization opened the way to other important practical applications of heterocycles, for example dyestuffs, copolymers, solvents, photographic sensitizers and developers, and in the rubber industry antioxidants and vulcanization accelerators. Some of the sturdiest polymers, such as Kevlar, have aromatic rings. Melamines (2,4,6-triamino-substituted s-triazines) are monomers with numerous applications as both homopolymers and copolymers. Scheme 9 shows a few examples of compounds with various applications in our daily life, having in common the same building block, the aromatic s-triazine. 

MACROMOLECULAR SCIENCE. Macromolecules or polymers arc now such a common feature of modern life that it is sometimes forgotten that the rapid development of such materials in industry has taken place in the last 60 years. In fact, the idea that such molecules exist was proposed by Staudingser. Mark, and coworkers in the 1920s and it was some time before these concepts were accepted by the scientific community. 

Culturing of eukaryotic cells is an important element of modern life science. Although there are cells that can grow in free suspension, most cells derived from solid tissues need to be cultured at surfaces and must subsequently be lifted off for further use. Common protocols require the use of digesting enzymes like trypsin for this step, which will destroy any features outside the cell membrane. Hence, with these methods, harvesting of completely intact cells is impossible. Therefore, it was an attractive idea to apply smart polymer surfaces for the control of cell adhesion. 

Certainly polymers are the building blocks for materials with a desirable range of properties that enhance the quality of modern life. They cannot be uninvented, nor is it necessary that they should be. However, the exploitation of polymers will have to be carried out more thoughtfully in the future than it has been in the past. Moreover, the social and political questions concerning their use and disposal will remain pressing well into the future. 

Polyesters are in widespread use in our modern life, ranging from bottles for carbonated soft drinks and water, fibers for shirts and other apparel, to the base for photographic film and recording tape. Household tradenames, such as Dacron , Fortrel , Terylene , Mylar , etc. demonstrate the ubiquitous nature of polyesters. In addition, of the biodegradable polymers employed in medical applications, polyesters are most often used. 

We can find polymers as components of many of the objects that surround us, as well as in a broad diversity of applications in daily life clothing, shoes, personal care products, furniture, electrical and electronic appliances, packaging, utensils, automobile parts, coatings, paints, adhesives, tires, and so on. The list is endless, and these few examples should provide an idea of the importance of synthetic polymers to modern society, in terms of both their usefulness and the economic value that they represent. 

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