Polymers

Presented by:
Ms.Arti Bhatnagar
•Polymerization: “The process by which, monomer combine to form
polymers is known as polymerization”.

Types of Polymerisation
Addition
Structure of Polymers
Structure of Polymers
Structure of Polymers PVC
Condensation Polymers
Nylon 6,6 a polyamide
Nylon
Classification of polymers
Classification of polymers
Basic Polymer Structure
Homopolymers and co-polymers
 Tacticity
3 types
isotactic
syndiotactic
atactic
isotactic
isotactic

CH3

propylene: CH2=CH
syndiotactic

atactic
 Molecular weight of Polymers
“Molecular weight of a polymer is defined as sum of the atomic weight of
each of the atoms in the molecules, which is present in the polymer”.

Generalization of Concept
Number-average molecular weight

Mn=
 niMi
=
 wi
 ni  wi/Mi
Weight-average molecular weight

Mw=
 niMi 2

=
 wiMi
 niMi  wi
 Additives
• To improve its melting and
molding properties.
• To improve the strength,
stability, chemical
resistance and weathering
properties of plastic
products.
 1. Antioxidants

Antioxidants are chemicals,

normally in a powder, that are
added to plastic materials (in
fractions of less than one
percent) to retard the reaction
with oxygen.
 2. Colorants
•The choice of a colorant
depends on its compatibility and
solubility in the plastic.

•Colorants must be stable at

molding temperatures and with
exposure to light, moisture and
oxygen.
 3.Plasticizers
•Plasticizers are a form
of internal lubricant
added to plastics to
improve flexibility,
resiliency, and melt flow.
 4.Fillers
•Fillers are low cost
additives which replace the
higher cost plastic.
• Fillers also provide
abrasive resistance on the
surface of the plastic.
 5.Lubricants
All lubricant additives
results in a decrease in
friction.
Thus lubricants are added
in small amount in solid,
powder or liquid form to all
plastic materials.
 6. Flame retarding agents
•Flame retarding agents, either
organic or inorganic, are used to
lower the flammability of all
types of plastics
•common flame retardants are
boron, nitrogen, halogens,
antimony and phosphorus.
 7.Reinforcements
•To enhance the mechanical
properties of a plastic.

•Finely divided silica, carbon

black, talc, mica, and calcium
carbonate, as well as short fibres
of a variety of materials, can be
incorporated as particulate fillers.
 8.Stabilizers
Stabilizers are added,
usually in small quantities,
to counter the effects of
aging.
Because all carbon-based
polymers are subject to
oxidation, the most common
stabilizers are antioxidants.
 Fabrication of Polymers

Compression Injection Transfer Extrusion

Moulding Moulding Moulding Moulding
Compression Moulding
• Compression moulding moulds molten plastic
into a desired shape through compression
• Compression Moulding is a method used for both
thermoplastic as well as thermosetting polymers
Process
1. The predetermined quantity of plastic ingredients
in proper proportion are filled into the cavity
2. Heat and pressure are applied as per
specifications & the cavity gets filled with fluidized
plastic
3. The two halves are closed very slowly. The
plastic mass takes the shape of the mould
4. Curing is done either by heating (thermosetting)
or cooling (thermoplastic)
5. The moulded article is taken out from mould after
curing
Advantages Disadvantages
a) Applied for 1) Rate of production is
thermoplastic as well less due to alternate
as thermosetting heating & cooling
polymers 2) Hard & strong fillers
b) Cost of fabrication is cannot be used
less 3) Limitation on the
c) Simple design can design of articles
be fabricated 4) Guide pins wear fast
Products like electrical switches, sockets, 3 pin main
plugs, handles of electric iron
Injection Moulding
Injection Moulding is a method used for thermoplastic
Process
 The plastic is placed in a hopper so that it falls into
the machine as the screw is turned
 The screw pushes the plastic along the machine &
the heater converts it into almost liquid
The screw is pushed into the machine which forces
soft plastic through a small hole into the cavity of the
die
The die and plastic are cooled
The die is separated and plastic item is released
Advantages Disadvantages
1) Rate of production is 1) Applied for thermoplastic
better than only
compression moulding 2) Injection Moulding
2) Less limitation on the machine is costly
design of articles
3) Due to less pressure
final products are
flawless
4) As hinges are used
replacement of guide
pins not required
Products like buckets, helmets, milk crates, toys,
valves, levers
Transfer Moulding
Transfer Moulding is a method used for thermosetting but some
thermoplastic parts can be produced
Process
 The method combines both features of compression moulding
and injection moulding
The pre weighed amount of polymer along with other
ingredients is placed in the transfer pot. This charge is heated
where the polymer softens
 The plunger , mounted on the top moves down, pressing on
the polymer and and forcing to fill the mould cavity
The mould is equipped with heating system to provide curing
for the polymer
The moulded article is ejected even in hot condition
 Transfer Moulding

Advantages
1.Intricate shapes can be produced
2.Article produced is free from flow
marks
3.Moulding & finishing cost is less
4.Shrinkage & distortion is minimum
due to uniform & thorough curing
Extrusion Moulding
Extrusion Moulding is a method used for continous
moulding of thermoplastic material into articles of
uniform cross- section
Process
 The thermoplastic ingredients are heated to plastic
condition
It is pushed by a means of a screw conveyor into a
die having required outer shape of articles to be
manufactured
The finished products that extrude out are cooled
either by blowing air or spraying water
When the plastic is extruded over some other material
such as wire for cables, the extrusion is fitted at right
angles to the wire
 Advantages
It is most efficient & rapid method for producing long
continuous article such as tubing, rods, filaments
An extrusion grade of thermoplastic has a high molecular
weight
Melting and Glass Transition
Temperature
Melting vs. Glass Transition Temp.
What factors affect Tm and Tg?

• Both Tm and Tg increase

with increasing chain
stiffness
• Chain stiffness increased
by
1. Bulky sidegroups
2. Polar groups or
sidegroups
3. Double bonds or
aromatic chain groups

• Regularity – effects Tm only

47
Viscoelasticity
• exhibit both viscous and elastic
characteristics when undergoing
deformation.
• Viscous materials, like honey, resist
shear flow and strain linearly with
time when a stress is applied.
• Elastic materials strain
instantaneously when stretched and
just as quickly return to their original
state once the stress is removed.
Conducting Polymers
Two conditions to become
conductive:
1-Polymer consists of alternating
single and double bonds, called
conjugated double bonds.
2-Either by removing electrons from oxidation), or
inserting them into (reduction), the material. The
process is known as Doping.
There are two types of doping:
1-oxidation with halogen (or p-doping).

2- Reduction with alkali metal

(called n-doping).
 Doping process
• The halogen doping transforms polyacetylene to a good conductor.

Oxidation with iodine causes the electrons to be jerked out of

the polymer, leaving "holes" in the form of positive charges that
can move along the chain.
• The iodine molecule attracts an electron from the
polyacetylene chain and becomes I3ֿ. The polyacetylene
molecule, now positively charged, is termed a radical cation,
or polaron.

• The lonely electron of the double bond, from which an electron was
removed, can move easily. As a consequence, the double bond
successively moves along the molecule.
• The positive charge, on the other hand, is fixed by electrostatic
attraction to the iodide ion, which does not move so readily.
Examples
 smart" windows
Shield for computer screen
against electromagnetic
"smart" windows
radiation Solar cell
Light-emitting diodes
Photographic Film
 Polymers for Medical and
Surgery
1. Polymers for Artificial Joints

2. Polymers for surgical

applications
3. Adhesives for medical
applications
 1. Artificial Joints

Hard material: Metallic femoral head

Soft material: Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) shell

Cement material: cold-curing acrylic cement

(polymethylmethacrylate)- to fix the components and
to transfer the stress more uniformly
 2. Bioabsorbable Polymers for
surgical applications
• tissue replacement, support of tissues
and delivery of drugs
• Based on their behavior in living tissue,
polymeric biomaterials can be divided
into;
1)Biostable
2)Bioabsorbable
(biodegradable/bioresorbable)
 Biostable Polymers
• Are inert

• Cause minimal response in surrounding

tissue

• Retain their properties for years

• Example: polyethylene, polypropylene;

used for endoprostheses and sutures
 Bioabsorbable Polymers for
surgical applications
1)Suture Materials
- Polyglycolid acid (PGA) and
Polylactic acid (PLA) have been
used as synthetic bioabsorbable
sutures
- Bioabsorbable sutures are used in
the fixation of bone fractures,closure
of soft tissue wound, etc
Bioabsorbable Polymers for surgical
applications
2)Porous Composites
- Hydroxyapatite powders
and blocks have
applications in the bone
surgery, e.g. to fill the
defects
 Bioabsorbable Polymers for surgical
applications

3) Drug Delivery System

- Polymeric devices for the
controlled release of drugs and
antibiotic
- This technique can save
patients from being exposed to
greater amounts of drug at the
desired site of action
Bioabsorbable Polymers for surgical
applications
4) Partially Bioabsorbable Device
- Example; PLA matrix
reinforced with carbon fiber,
copolymer MMA and N-
vinylpyrrolidone reinforced
polyamide fibers, etc used for
ligaments, tendon, scaffolds,
etc.
3.Adhesive Types Silicones
• Typically formulated from
silicone resins and
polydimethyl siloxane gum
• To impart cohesive
strength, the polymer and
resin are crosslink to form
a network
 Industrial polymers
Polycarbonates
• polymers containing carbonate
groups (–O–(C=O)–O–).’
• high impact-resistance,
• low scratch-resistance and so
a hard coating is applied to
polycarbonate eyewear lenses
and polycarbonate exterior
automotive components.
 Bakelite
• used for its electrical
nonconductivity and heat-
resistant properties in
electrical insulators,
• radio and telephone casings,
• kitchenware, jewelry, pipe
stems, and children's toys.
 Teflon
• PTFE is used as a non-stick
coating for pans and other
cookware.
• often used in containers and
pipework for reactive and
corrosive chemicals.
• used as a lubricant, PTFE
reduces friction, wear, and energy
consumption of machinery.
 Polyurethane
• manufacture of flexible, high-resilience
foam seating; rigid foam insulation panels;
• microcellular foam seals and gaskets;
• durable elastomeric wheels and tires;
automotive suspension bushings;
• high performance adhesives;
• surface coatings and surface sealants;
synthetic fibers carpet underlay;
• and hard-plastic parts (e.g., for electronic
instruments).
 Polyamide
• A polyamide is a polymer
containing monomers of amides
joined by peptide bonds.

• Polyamides are commonly used

in textiles, automotives, carpet
and sportswear due to their
extreme durability and strength.
 Silicones
• Silicones are inert, synthetic
compounds with a variety of forms
and uses.
• heat-resistant and rubber-like,
• used in sealants, adhesives,
lubricants, medical applications (e.g.,
breast implants), cookware, and
insulation.
 Rubber
• Rubber is an elastomer
• Rubber is also tough and
resistant to weathering
and chemical attack.
• it must possess a high
molecular weight and a
flexible polymer chain.
 Natural Rubber
• by smoking the milky, white
latex of trees of the genus
Hevea sp.Brasilliensis that
had been placed on a
wooden paddle, to promote
water evaporation and to
cure the substance.
• molecular weights of rubber
molecules range from 50,000
to 3,000,000.

• The repeating unit in natural

rubber has the cis
configuration (with chain
extensions on the same side
of the ethylene double
bond), which is essential for
elasticity.
• If the configuration is
trans the polymer is either
a hard plastic (naturally
occurring gutta-percha,
obtained from the leaves
of Palaquium,
• used for wire and cable
coating and modern golf
ball covers
Vulcanization of rubber
Thank You