Rayon A very weird polymer

When was it formed? Rayon is the oldest polymer fiber that has been created. Having been in production since the 1880’s in France, it was a cheap alternative to silk. It was first created by Georges Audemars as an alternative to silk, but it was very impractical.

Rayon (Cont) Rayon is actually classified as a manufactured fiber because it is created from cellulose. Rayon is also called “regenerated cellulose”.

Rayon (cont) Dupont Chemicals required the rights to exclusively manufacture Rayon, and it is now synonymous with many for Drapes, and many gowns use this material as an alternative for silk.

Rayon Production Method The most popular Rayon production method is the viscose method, which can either produce either filament, or staple fibers.

Advantages to Rayon Rayon is highly absorbent, easy to dye, and is great for flowing fabrics. Rayon is also quite cheap to produce, making it very popular for garments and housing decorations.

Downsides to Rayon Rayon is very bad when it comes to being stretched, it doesn’t recover its shape. It is also a fabric that ages poorly, usually turning a yellow color and turning somewhat brittle and easy to deteriorate.

Works Cited www.Wisegeek.com www.wikipedia.com Images courtesy of www.google.com

Polytetrafluoroethylene A very slippery polymer!

When was it Formed? PTFE was created by accident in 1938 by Roy Plunkett of Kinetic Chemicals He was trying to make a new refrigerant utilizing an iron tank and tetrafluoroethylene gas.

When was it formed (cont.) He noticed that when trying to expel the gas that it stopped flowing from the tank before the tank was supposed to be empty. Upon opening the tank, he discovered that the tank was coated with a white film of a very slippery substance.

When was it formed (cont.) When the compound was analyzed, it was discovered that it was polymerized perfluoroethylene. The iron was a catalyst Kinetic Chemicals patented this compound and named it Teflon in 1945.

Uses of PTFE One of the most popular uses of Teflon is in non-stick cooking pans. The first pan was created in 1961 and dubbed “The Happy Pan.” Teflon is also used in a tape form and many plumbers use it to create watertight and airtight seals around threaded pipes and fittings.

Uses of PTFE PTFE was also used very early in the Manhattan Project. It was used on the seals of the containers containing Uranium Hexafluoride at the Uranium Enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Downsides to Teflon Teflon can break down due to high temperatures around 392 Fahrenheit. Although this is not too damaging to humans, the decomposition of PTFE does produce fluorocarbon gases which can be lethal to birds.

Works Cited www.wikipedia.com Images courtesy of www.google.com

Synthetic Rubber

Who invented Synthetic Rubber? Experiments began by 1906 In 1910, Sergei V. Lebedev polymerized butadiene (first to invent synthetic rubber) Most natural rubbers came from Asia During WWII, due to Japanese boycott on rubber to the US, America became the for-runner in Synthetic rubber experimentation/ development After WWII synthetics took off and began to rival natural rubber

How is Synthetic Rubber made? Simple answer: Synthesized from rubber and minerals/ petroleum Approximate 20 different chemicals in synthetic rubber

From: Rubber Manufacturers Association “How is synthetic rubber produced? General purpose synthetic rubber has its origin in two gases: butadiene, a by-product of petroleum refining, and styrene, captured either in the coking process or as a petroleum refining by-product. When the two are mixed in the presence of soapsuds in a reactor, liquid latex results. The dry rubber in this milky liquid is then coagulated into crumbs, washed, dried, and baled ready for shipment.” (http://www.rma.org/about_rma/rubber_faqs/)

Need for Synthetic Rubber? In 1960, the use of synthetic rubber became lager than natural rubber. Approximately 70% of rubber made in the modern rubber industry is synthetic Synthetic rubber is used for every type of tire

Images courtesy of google. com http://www. iisrp. com/synthetic-rubber http://www.rma.org/about_rma/rubber_faqs/ http://www.plasticsindustry.com/synthetic-rubber.asp http://www.mdmaterials.com/playgroundsurfacing_synthetic_rubbertiremulch.html http://www.asia.ru/en/ProductInfo/501493.html http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/09/inventions-gadgets-ipod-ent-cz_sc_1109tech_slide.html http://www.topnews.in/production-synthetic-rubber-has-gone-10-2266273

Polyester

Polyester Discovered!! W.H. Carothers discovered that alcohols and carboxyl acids could be successfully mixed to create fibers. He worked for DuPont at the time.

First Polyester Fiber Terylene was the first polyester fiber. It was created by J.R. Whinfield; JT. Dickson along with W.K. Birtwhistle and C.G. Ritchiethey.

DuPont In 1950, the Dealware property of DuPont manufactured another polyester fibers, which they named Dacron.

First Introduced Polyester was first introduced to the American public in 1951 as the, “magical fabric that needed no ironing,” until after 68 days.

More Polyester In 1958 another polyester fiber called Kodel was developed by Eastman Chemical Products, Inc.

What Happened? Polyester experienced a constant growth until the 1970s when sales drastically declined due to the negative public image that emerged in the late 60s as a result of the infamous polyester double-knit fabric.

Work Cited http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpolyester.htm http://www.whatispolyester.com/history.html http://www.p-wholesale.com/subcat/14/594/chemical-fabric-p19.html http://dejavuenlared.com.ar/ http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Wallace_Carothers http://www.freelogovector.com/detail-d-Du_Pont_logo.php http://www.cottagecreationsmokena.com/tablecloths.cfm http://comlekcim.com/ http://vertigo-go.com/blog/category/random/