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?
1. Experiments began by 1906
2. In 1910, Sergei V. Lebedev polymerized
butadiene (first to invent synthetic rubber)
3. Most natural rubbers came from Asia
4. During WWII, due to Japanese boycott on
rubber to the US, America became the forrunner in Synthetic rubber experimentation/
development
5. 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 byproduct. 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/syntheticrubber.html
http://www.rma.org/about_rma/rubber_faqs/
http://www.plasticsindustry.com/syntheticrubber.asp
http://www.mdmaterials.com/playgroundsurfacing
_synthetic_rubbertiremulch.html
http://www.asia.ru/en/ProductInfo/501493.html
http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/09/inventionsgadgets-ipod-ent-cz_sc_1109tech_slide.html
http://www.topnews.in/production-syntheticrubber-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 doubleknit fabric.
Work Cited
• http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpolyester.ht
m
• http://www.whatispolyester.com/history.html
• http://www.p-wholesale.com/subcat/14/594/chemicalfabric-p19.html
• http://dejavuenlared.com.ar/
• http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Wallace_Carothers
• http://www.freelogovector.com/detail-dDu_Pont_logo.php
• http://www.cottagecreationsmokena.com/tablecloths.cfm
• http://comlekcim.com/
• http://vertigo-go.com/blog/category/random/