Why You Should Know the Super Cool Uses of Polymers

Did you know DNA and rubber ducks share a huge amount in common? Polymers. This substance made of many repeating units of parts makes up a lot of our world’s industries. From glue to socks, the uses of a polymer are crazy. 

If you want to learn about the exciting world of polymers and all its applications, this is your chance. Read on to figure out how important polymers are to you and me. 

Polymers Explained 

Natural polymers come up in nature. You can gather polymers found in the Earth to make Synthetic polymers. Sources like DNA, silk, and proteins are all forms of natural polymers. 

Polymers exist as a chain of molecules. For instance, cellulose comes from plants and trees. Cellulose is made of many strands of glucose. Cellulose polymers are the glue for nearly all plants. 

Cellulose polymers hold together plant structures. They also determine what plants need to grow and survive. Since plants are made of sugars, they require sugars to stay strong. Water, sunlight, and natural sugars all combine to make natural plant polymers. 

Chiton, the molecular structure for crab shells, fungi, and spiders all count as natural polymers. Once again, chiton polymers hold together the cell walls of these creatures and plants. 

You can think of innovative polymers as the uses of polymers to create new and unique ways of solving natural and synthetic problems. For instance, DNA acts as an innovative polymer because it is both resilient and flexible enough to create new types of natural processes. 

Synthetic Polymers 

Synthetic polymers are human-made. Things like Teflon, nylon, and plastics are all forms of synthetic polymers. Since polymers are both flexible and strong, humans find new uses of polymer for human tasks that require resilient objects. 

Polyethylenes are naturally insulating structures. They’re also lightweight, strong, and have high chemical resistance. We use polyethylenes for plastic bags, geomembranes, and bottles. 

There are a few types of polyethylenes that the world uses most. 

• Low-Density 
• High-Density 
• Cross-Linked 
• High-Molecular-Weight 
• Low-Molecular-Weight 

All of these examples involve people rearranging the molecular structure of polymers. Some are important to resist heat, others to resist breaking forces. 

Polymers act as great for expanding molding materials. For instance, expanding polymers are currently used for self-folding structures and other printable materials. 

Expanding materials give rise to stress-resistant objects. This is especially useful in an industrial setting where we apply several tons of pressure on new materials. 

The Common and Forgotten Uses 

Many of your shopping lists include polymer products. Here are the most common examples of synthetic polymers in your daily life. 

Nylon 

Synthetic polymers like nylon make for great fiber materials. Many popular clothes, socks, and bags include nylon. That’s because nylon is flexible and lightweight. It also presents a crystalline structure, making it a resilient material for clothing.  

Epoxy 

You’ll usually find epoxy in adhesives and plastics. Think of glue, duct tape, and coatings. Epoxy’s structure is sticky and binding. Its molecular properties are great for linking together chains of molecules. 

Epoxy glues and resins are thermosetting polymers. They chain their structure – hardening – upon reaching a certain temperature. You’ll find these products listed under “hardeners” or “curing agents”. 

Cell Phones 

This is less common but is a great application of polymer. Researchers are trying to create polymer-based cell phone screens that reform when broken. These screens count as thermosetting polymers like the glues mentioned above. 

Best Applications of Polymer 

Industries apply synthetic polymers across industries to create break-resistant products. People focus on polymers because they act as resistants to chemicals, heats, and other issues that cost big industries a lot of money. 

Technology 

From gaming headsets to computer components, polymers-based technology can stay around longer than other sources. For example, we apply plastics to wires and casings to resist electricity. 

Scientists started working on Polytronics around 9 years ago. These are conductive polymers that work to solve computing problems and safely carry electrical current. 

As mentioned above, polymers can act as great screen protectors. Some screens might resist scratches, high heat, and other issues with the help of polymer product. 

Clothing 

Nylon creates strong clothing. Cotton and silk are the other leaders in clothing. All three of these count as polymers. In fact, cotton even exists as cellulose.

Polymers have tons of interlinked molecules, making it feasible to change the overall structure of different clothes. For example, cotton is less flexible as nylon but feels cozier. That’s due to the arrangement of polymer layers. 

Medicine 

Polymers accent threads for stitching wounds and tissue engineering. Since polymers are resistant to high-temperatures, scientists have opted to use polymer combinations for flame retardants as well. 

The polymerization of other substances allows doctors to heal wounds faster. Fading-stitches degrade upon reacting to a chemical release. Both of these techniques improve modern medicine. 

See Polymer for The Best in Future Products

Polymers have a longstanding history in our world. Natural polymers spring up in abundance and travel into our homes at a stunning rate. Through the course of reading this article, you’ve learned about the key applications of one of our world’s most surprising materials. 

What’s your next step? It’s simple. Polymers are found in some of our favorite products. Therefore, it’s important that you have a source for the best in shopping and finding. 

Whether you’re someone looking for the best applications for your business or you simply want a better lighting system, it’s good to have one place to find everything. 

It’s your turn to make a list. Now that you know a bit about polymer, use your research to know a bit more about the world. Don’t wait while chances pass you by. Go out on the web and learn more about the features of your favorite products!