Review article
TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE FIRST APPLICATION OF POLYMERS
Jasminka Bonato
orcid.org/0000-0003-1448-3296
; Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka
Đani Šabalja
; Faculty of Maritime Studies Rijeka
Abstract
Natural polymers have been used since the beginning of human kind until the present times when we are familiar with organic and inorganic polymers [1]. Natural polymers are used in food, clothes, footwear, heating and construction materials like starch, cellulose, wool, leather, cotton, wood and natural rubber. Native inhabitants in America were familiar with the use of rubber long before the arrival of European explorers [2]. The conditions of use define the electrical, mechanical, heat, magnetic and optical characteristics. These characteristics refer to the structure and chemical composition of these materials. Nowadays, complex researches are carried out in order to obtain new polymeric materials with specific characteristics, those being for example persistence under high temperatures and good electrical conductivity. A greater number of new materials have been used in the last fifty years than in all the centuries before and it is estimated that there are 70,000 types of technical materials available [3]. The percentage of applying various alloys and polymeric, ceramic and composite materials grows constantly.
Keywords
development of polymeric materials; elastomers and basic characteristics; plastic and rubber processing
Hrčak ID:
94034
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2012.
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