CHEM 1106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Polystyrene, Nomex, Insecticide
3 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
The glass transition temperature (tg) is the temperature above which the polymer is tough and rubbery and below which it is like glass, hard and stif. Automobile tires need substances with a low tg. Some synthetic polymers can be converted to ibers. Many can exhibit properties that are superior to natural ibers. The majority of ibers and fabrics used in the us are synthetic. Nylon feels like silk but is much less expensive. Polyesters are not subject to attack from mildew or moths and many don"t need ironing. Moths don"t eat polyesters because polyesters aren"t nutrients where an animal can consume and get nutrition from them. Some polyester have hypo-allergenic properties designed to produce or minimize the possibility of an allergic reaction, for example to wool, a natural polymer. Certain polymers can be used in oil spill cleanup due to their absorbent properties. Downside: most plastics don"t decompose readily in the natural environment.
