Part Two: The Role of Polymers in the Future
In our previous blog post, we discussed how polymers are currently being implemented in daily life. We realized they have immense implications, serving a part in some of our favorite materials, including; tupperware, clothing made from synthetic fibers, polymer based paints (which you know we especially love here at Gellner Industrial, the industry standard for acrylic polymer-based paints), plastic bags and much, much more. But this is 2018 and everything is changing. We are witnessing great strides being made in a myriad of industries and you bet your bottom dollar that this growth extends to polymers and polymer-based products too. But how exactly will the future of polymers change? Well, read this informative blog post about the modern world of polymers to find out.
Ever since Hermann Staudinger (our hero, wbu?) proposed the concept of polymers (basically, he stated that polymers were a class of compounds that included cellulose and rubber, broken down to small molecules that were linked together due to incredibly strong chemical bonds), polymers have been a big deal not only in scientific groups but in the world as a whole. We now know Hermann was very on to something, something he probably didn’t even realize was as big as it is. Thanks to industrialization and factories, manufacturers became obsessed with breaking down large products into the mass production of raw materials, which is a perfect venue for polymers. Polymers, represent and are the smaller raw materials that go into the more recognizable, everyday plastic products. With that said, the creation of polymers themselves for future uses in plastic products is now a big business, which you know, if you are on Gellner Industrial’s site.
Synthetic polymers are now much bigger than Hermann could have ever predicted. So big that the world produced 300 million of tons of them, just last year. They literally go into everything, down to the molecular chains that make them up. These very chains enter into so many products you probably know about, including clothes, paint, 3D printing, drug delivery, packaging and self-help materials. Literally things you deal with every day. Additionally, there are even larger manifestations for polymers- polymers make up half the weight of Boeing’s latest plane they created.
But expect even more growth than that. The US National Science Foundation has surveyed new areas in which they predict polymers will grow and infiltrate. They are expecting polymers to go places they have never been before- including nature. Researchers are currently finding ways to mimic and study the polymers that occur naturally in the world. There is a big emphasis of nature with the future of polymers. Additionally, scientists and responsible parties will try to amend the waste accrued by some polymers. This trend reflects the environmentalism we see in this day and age, and here at Gellner Industrial, we support the future of polymers as well as that of our planet.
