Polymers & plastics

Polyester amides

1979 BCE

Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) are very important synthetic polymers with applications in many fields. The combination of the thermal and mechanical properties of polyamides with the biocompatibility and biodegradability of polyesters affords biomaterials of great interest especially for tissue engineering and drug delivery. Recent advances are elucidated herein with focus on synthesis and applications.

Kevlar

1966 BCE

Kevlar is a type of plastic with a very high tensile strength. The molecules are aligned parallel to each other and are very tightly bound, making the material bulletproof.
https://youtu.be/kYOkZptUMCg

Tupperware

1949 BCE

Tupperware is a home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home. In 1942, Earl Tupper developed his first bell-shaped container; the brand products were introduced in the year 1948 to the public. The term "Tupperware" is often used generically to refer to plastic or glass food storage containers (tubs) with snap close lids.

Teflon

1938 BCE

Many people know that Teflon® is used as a coating in non-stick cookware products such as pots and pans. With this application, Teflon® creates a low-friction cooking surface that reduces stuck on food, cleans up easier and lets you cook with less fat.
https://youtu.be/jxuaRCRKOWs

Polyethylene

1936 BCE

Polyethylene (PE), a lightweight and versatile synthetic resin made by polymerizing ethylene. Polyethylene belongs to the important family of polyolefin resins. It's the most widely used plastic in the world and it's turned into products that range from clear food packaging and grocery bags to detergent bottles and automotive fuel tanks. It can also be split or spun into synthetic fibers or modified to take on the elastic properties of a rubber.
https://youtu.be/4V1GYCqkJg0

Nylon and neoprene

1935 BCE

Neoprene or polychloroprene is a family of synthetic rubbers produced by the polymerization of chloroprene. Neoprene shows good chemical stability and maintains flexibility over a wide temperature range. Neoprene is sold as solid rubber or latex form and is used in a wide variety of applications such as laptop sleeves, clamps (wrists, knees, etc. ), electrical insulation, sheet or liquid driven elastomeric membranes, or flash, and automotive fan belts.

Neoprene

1931 BCE

Neoprene was the world’s first fully commercial synthetic elastomer and was introduced by DuPont in 1931. The term neoprene is now generic but was originally the trade name from DuPont’s chemical name Polychloroprene.
Neoprene was originally used as an oil resistant replacement for natural rubber.
https://youtu.be/JkqBWJslHLw

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

1926 BCE

PVC, in full polyvinyl chloride, a synthetic resin made from the polymerization of vinyl chloride. Second only to polyethylene among the plastics in production and consumption, PVC is used in an enormous range of domestic and industrial products.
https://youtu.be/PvlrXifViVM

Cellophane

1920 BCE

Cellophane is formed by casting thick viscose solution though a slot die and carrying the sheet though chemical baths to convert the viscose to cellulose, remove sulfur, bleach the film, and add glycerin to plasticize it.
https://youtu.be/6Y6bSbHxpmU

Rayon

1908 BCE

rayon is a fabric made from purified cellulose fibers, which are typically created from wood pulp. Though rayon is derived from natural materials, it requires certain chemicals, so it’s considered to be a semi-synthetic fabric.
https://youtu.be/B5Ge3xSRrKA

Bakelite

1907 BCE

Bakelite was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It is a thermosetting phenol-formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. It was developed by Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York, in 1907.
https://youtu.be/Yips-9DxBo8

Nitrocellulose

1845 BCE

Nitrocellulose , also called cellulose nitrate , a mixture of nitric esters of cellulose , and a highly flammable compound that is the main ingredient of modern gunpowder and is also employed in certain lacquers and paints. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was the basis of the earliest man-made fibres and plastic materials.
https://youtu.be/xntuBdtJn4Q

Celluloid

1668 BCE

Celluloids are a class of materials made by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with dyes and other added agents. Much more common in the past, table tennis balls, musical instruments, combs, office equipment, and guitar picks are common uses for celluloid today.
https://youtu.be/6Jpi6gtSdmk