Everyday Polymers
Everyday encounters with polymers.Copyright 2011 Cherelle Bishop, Colorado State University
Students explore the chemical identities of polymeric materials frequently used in their everyday lives. They learn how chemical composition affects the physical properties of the materials that they encounter and use frequently, as well as how cross-linking affects the properties of polymeric materials.
Materials engineers, especially those who design plastics, combine an understanding of chemistry and material science to design, develop and manufacture new materials with special properties for new applications. For example, the demand for lightweight parts and vehicles using recycled materials challenges engineers to make "smart polymers" that change their properties according to their environments. Such materials can be sensitive to temperature, humidity, pH, light intensity, or electrical or magnetic field, and can respond in various ways, such as altering color or transparency, becoming conductive or permeable to water, or changing shape (shape memory polymers).
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe how polymers are synthesized by combining two types of monomers with heat for a sufficient period of time.
- Predict how a cross-linker will cause a change in the physical properties of a polymer system and how molecular arrangements influence these materials properties.
- Describe examples how polymers are used in everyday life.