Image source Pixabay.com
Polymers might not be familiar to so many of us, but polymers are the key building materials of our world today. You will find polymers in clothes, packaging, paint, and some life-saving surgical supplies. Polymers are incredible materials that have an impact on our daily lives. I will try to share why this material is so important to our lives.
What are Polymers
Polymerization is a chemical process that brings small molecules of monomers together forming a chain of repeated structure. In a simple team, a polymer is many monomers linked together, which can be coiled up like a spring forming a strong and flexible material(thermoplastics). This polymer can be used as raw material to create new materials(biopolymers). Polymers are important to us in many sectors, a simple example is a material used for our computers and phones. You can imagine how heavy these devices will have been if not for the polymers. Our clothes will be unable to be stretched, and our cars practically impossible to drive due to the lack of bumpers and steel wheels. LOL Polymers help to keep objects light, flexible, strong, and easy to use.
Image source Pixabay.com
Do polymers impact our daily life?
As I mentioned, polymers are found in most products in the world today. You will hardly find a modern product that does not have a part made out of polymers.
- Surgical supplies
In the health sector, we have surgical sutures which are used to hold broken bones. These materials are made of polymer chains. There are also surgical gloves, which are woven with polymer chains. The surgical gloves protect the body naturally from outside germs.
- Paints and coatings
We sometimes wonder how the paint sticks to the wall of our homes, polymers help in making sure the paint sticks firm to our walls. Now you can see why the paint coating can last long on the wall without fading or chipping off.
- Solvents
Solvents are chemicals used in clean items. Polymers are used in making solvents, which help in drawing water molecules from a surface and separating them from the dirt particles.
- Food packaging
I did mention that polymers are light and flexible. This helps to wrap food and keep it fresh and preserve the flavor. Polymers help us save money and time, as we can avoid food wastage.
- Transportation
We do admire the shapes of our cars and airplanes, thanks to polymers. Polymers have a flexible shape, which allows them to bend without any deformation in shape. If in case a part is bent, it will naturally take the direction of the force applied.
- Medicine and science
Science has gone that far in producing artificial heart valves made of polymers called silicone rubber. It is used for surgeries for patients whose natural heart valves have become too damaged.
To conclude, we have seen how this material is important to our lives. Every modern product has a part made from polymers since they are lighter, flexible, and stronger. As innovation is on the rise, we will be seeing an increase in the use of synthetic polymers.
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@fombae