Tag: polymers of commercial importance

TEFLON  -  It is an addition polymer prepared by heating tetrafluoroetane with a free radical.
      $n CF _{2} = CF _{2}  \xrightarrow[High  pressure]{Catalyst} -[CF _{2}-CF _{2}-] _{n}$
   Tetrafluoroetane                                   Teflon
POLYAMIDE  -  These are polymers possessing amide linkage and Teflon doesn't contain any amide linkage.
POLYSTER -  These are polycondensation products of dicarboxylic acids and diols.
FORMALDEHYDE  RESIN - It can refer to many formaldehyde polymers such as melamine formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde.

For natural polymers, PDI (Polydispersity Index) is generally equal to $1$, which means that they are monodisperse. Such polymers are more homogeneous.

Crystalline polymers exhibit sharp melting points because their chains are arranged in an ordered structure. Polystyrene, specifically isotactic polystyrene, can show crystalline properties, whereas rubbers and cross-linked polymers like Bakelite are amorphous or thermoset.

Cellulose is a natural polysaccharide found in plants and is the primary component of natural fibers like cotton. Bakelite and Nylon are synthetic polymers, and rubber is a natural elastomer but not typically classified as a fiber.

Bakelite is a condensation polymer of phenol and formaldehyde. Bakelite is widely used for making molded products.  It was the first plastic made from synthetic components.