The characters of plastics (2024)
15 hours ago
- Polyethylene and polypropylene are cheap, unreactive, UV-sensitive plastics used for containers and chemistry beakers.
- Nylon is a strong plastic used for nuts, bolts, fishing line, and hosiery; glass-fiber reinforced nylon rivals cast aluminum.
- Polycarbonate is tough and transparent (bulletproof windows, safety glasses) but vulnerable to chemical attack like acetone.
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) can be rigid or flexible with plasticizers; it requires stabilizers that may contain lead, and burning releases toxic chlorine compounds.
- Polyurethane is versatile (hard, flexible, foams) but degrades over time; its production uses toxic isocyanates, and it burns vigorously unless treated with flame retardants.
- Bakelite is a heat-resistant thermosetting plastic used for electrical components and heat shields; it is brittle but can be filled with fibers.
- Polystyrene is cheap, brittle, and solvent-soluble; foamed as styrofoam; ABS (a tougher variant) is common in consumer products like Legos.
- Teflon (PTFE) is chemically noble and nonstick, used in cookware; its fluorine-based chemistry makes it expensive.
- High-strength polyethylene fibers (e.g., aligned molecular chains) can be as strong as bulletproof materials.
- The text argues that plastics are unfairly lumped together, and greater public awareness of their differences would be beneficial.