Presented courtesy of Modern Plastics, Inc. (www.modernplastics.

com)

joined together to make long chains that result in a

material with a useful blend of properties. Using
another Greek word poly which means many, the
long chain of mers forms a polymer. The monomers
are held together in a polymer chain by very strong
attractive forces between molecules. Much weaker
forces hold the polymer chains together. The polymer
chains can be constructed in many ways. Some simplified examples of the way polymers are built are shown
in Figures 1.1-1.5:

COPOLYMERS
Copolymers are polymers constructed from two different monomers.
ALTERNATING TYPES: A-A-A-B-A-A-A-B-A-A-A-B
Some examples of alternating copolymers are ethylene-acrylic and ethylene-ethyl acrylate.

MONOMERS: A, B, C
Examples of monomers are ethylene, styrene, vinyl
chloride and propylene.
Figure 1.3

Figure 1.1

HOMOPOLYMERS: A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A
Homopolymers are polymers constructed from
joining like monomers.
Some examples of polymers built this way are polyethylene, polystyrene and PVC.

GRAFT TYPES: A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-Al

l
l
l
l
B
B
B B
B
l
I
l
B
B
B
I
l
B
B
I
B
Some examples of grafted copolymers are styrenebutadiene, styrene-acrylonitrile and some acetals.

Figure 1.4

Figure 1.2

TERPOLYMERS: A-A-A-B-C-C-A-A-A-B-C-C
Terpolymers are polymers constructed from three
different materials.
An example of a terpolymer is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).

Figure 1.5

Introduction to Plastics

HOW PLASTICS ARE MADE

The two monomers in a copolymer are combined

during the chemical reaction of polymerization.
Materials called alloys are manufactured by the simple mixing of two or more polymers with a resulting
blending of properties which are often better than either
individual material. There is no chemical reaction in this
process. Some examples of alloys are polyphenylene
oxide-high-impact styrene, polycarbonate-ABS and
ABS-PVC.

Molecular Weight
It is important for the chemist to know how long the
polymer chains are in a material. Changing the length of
the chains in a thermoplastic material will change its
final properties and how easily it can be shaped when it
is melted.
The repeating unit or molecular group in the
homopolymer is A- (Figure 1.2), the group of molecules
in the copolymer A-B- (Figure 1.3), and in the terpolymer A-B-C- (Figure 1.5). The number of repeating units
in the polymer chain is called the degree of polymerization. If the repeating unit has a molecular weight
(the combined weight of all of the molecules in the
repeating unit) of 60 and the chain or polymer has 1,000
repeating units, then the polymer has an average molecular weight of 60 1,000 = 60,000. The molecular
weight is a way of measuring the length of the polymer
chains in a given material.
The molecular weight of plastics is usually between
10,000 and 1,000,000. It becomes increasingly difficult to
form or mold the plastic with the application of heat
and pressure as the molecular weight increases. A molecular weight of about 200,000 is about the maximum
for a polymer to still permit reasonable processability.
Some higher molecular weight materials, like ultrahigh-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMW-PE), that
has a molecular weight from 3,000,000 to 6,000,000, can
be cast using processes specifically designed to shape it.

Crystalline and Amorphous Materials

Polymers are often described as being either crystalline or amorphous when it is actually more accurate
to describe plastics by their degree of crystallinity.
Polymers cannot be 100 percent crystalline, otherwise
they would not be able to melt due to the highly organized structure. Therefore, most polymers are considered semi-crystalline materials with a maximum of 80
percent crystallinity.
Amorphous materials have no patterned order
between the molecules and can be likened to a bowl of
wet spaghetti. Amorphous materials include atactic
polymers since the molecular structure does not gener4

HOW PLASTICS ARE MADE

ally result in crystallization. Examples of these types of

amorphous plastics include polystyrene, PVC and atactic polypropylene. Presence of polar groups, such as a
carbonyl group CO, in vinyl type polymers also restrict
crystallization. Polyvinyl acetate, all polyacrylates and
polymethacrylates are examples of carbonyl groups
being present and the resulting polymers being amorphous. Polyacrylonitrile is an exception to this since carbonyl groups are present in their structure but they also
crystallize. Even amorphous materials can have a
degree of crystallinity with the formation of crystallites
throughout their structure. The degree of crystallinity is
an inherent characteristic of each polymer but may also
be affected or controlled by processes such as polymerization and molding.
Crystalline materials exhibit areas of highly organized and tightly packed molecules. These areas of crystallinity are called spherulites and can be varied in
shape and size with amorphous areas between the crystallites. The length of polymers contributes to their ability to crystallize as the chains pack closely together, as
well as overlapping and aligning the atoms of the molecules in a repeating lattice structure. Polymers with a
backbone of carbon and oxygen, such as acetals, readily
crystallize. Plastic materials such as nylon, and other
polyamides, crystallize due to the parallel chains
and strong hydrogen bonds of the carbonyl and
amine groups. Polyethylene is crystalline because
the chains are highly regular and easily aligned.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is also highly symmetric, like polyethylene, with fluorine atoms replacing all
the hydrogens along the carbon backbone. It, too, is
highly crystalline. Isomer structures also affect the
degree of crystallinity. As the atactic stereochemistry
resulted in amorphous polymers, those that are isotactic
and syndiotactic result in crystalline structures forming
as chains align to form crystallites. These stereospecific
forms of polypropylene are those which are preferable
for structural applications due to their degree of crystallinity.
The degree of crystallinity affects many polymeric
properties. In turn, other characteristics and processes
affect the degree of crystallinity. Molecular weight will
affect the crystallinity of polymers. The higher the molecular weight the lower the degree of crystallinity, and
the areas of crystallites are more imperfect. The degree
of crystallinity is also dependent on the time available
for crystallization to occur. Processors can use this to
their advantage by quenching or annealing to control
the time for crystallization to occur. Highly branched
polymers tend to have lower degrees of crystallinity, as
is easily seen in the difference between branched lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE) and the more crystalline
high-density polyethylene (HDPE). LDPE is very flexible, less dense, and more transparent than HDPE. This
is an excellent example that the same polymer can have
Introduction to Plastics

varied degrees of crystallinity. Stress can also result in

increased crystallinity as polymer chains align orienting
the crystallites. Drawing fibers, the direction of extrusion, and gate placement will also affect the orientation
of polymers and therefore the crystallites of the material. This allows the processor to maximize the effects
and benefits of the inherent crystallinity of the polymer
being used in an application. The chart below describes
other general effects due to the degree of crystallinity in
a polymer.
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF
CRYSTALLINE AND AMORPHOUS PLASTICS
Higher Percent Crystalline
Higher heat resistance
Sharper melting point
More opaque
Greater shrinkage upon
cooling
Reduced low temperature
toughness
Higher dimensional stability
Lower creep

Higher Percent Amorphous

Lower heat resistance
Gradual softening/melting
point
More translucent/transparent
Lower shrinkage upon
cooling
Greater low temperature
toughness
Lower dimensional stability
Higher creep

Thermoplastic and Thermoset Materials

The terms thermoset and thermoplastic have been
traditionally used to describe the different types of plastic materials. A thermoset allows only one chance to liquefy and shape it. These materials can be cured or polymerized using heat and pressure, or as with epoxies, a
chemical reaction started by a chemical initiator.
A thermoplastic can be melted and shaped several
times. The thermoplastic materials are either crystalline
or amorphous. Advances in chemistry have made the
distinction between crystalline and amorphous less
clear, since some materials like nylon are formulated
both as a crystalline material and as an amorphous
material.
Again, the advances in chemistry make it possible
for a chemist to construct a material to be either thermoset or thermoplastic. The main difference between
the two classes of materials is whether the polymer
chains remain linear and separate after molding (like

Introduction to Plastics

spaghetti) or whether they undergo a chemical change

and form a network (like a net) by cross-linking.
Generally, a cross-linked material is a thermoset and
cannot be reshaped. Due to recent advances in polymer
chemistry, the exceptions to this rule are continually
growing. These materials are actually cross-linked thermoplastics with the cross-linking occurring either during the processing or during the annealing cycle. The
linear materials are thermoplastic and are chemically
unchanged during molding (except for possible degradation) and can be reshaped again and again.
As previously discussed, cross-linking can be initiated by heat, chemical agents, irradiation or a combination of these. Theoretically, any linear plastic can be
made into a cross-linked plastic with some modification
to the molecule so that the cross-links form in orderly
positions to maximize properties. It is conceivable that,
in time, all materials could be available in both linear
and cross-linked formulations.
The formulation of a material, cross-linked or linear,
will determine the processes that can be used to successfully shape the material. Generally, cross-linked
materials (thermosets) demonstrate better properties,
such as improved resistance to heat, less creep and better chemical resistance than their linear counterpart;
however, they will generally require a more complex
process to produce a part, rod, sheet or tube.

SOME EXAMPLES OF THE

VARIOUS TYPES OF MATERIALS
Linear Thermoplastics
PVC
Nylon
Acrylic
Polycarbonate
ABS
Thermoplastics That Can Be Cross-linked After Processing
PEEK
Polyamide-imide
UHMW-PE
Thermosets
Phenolics
Epoxies
Melamines

HOW PLASTICS ARE MADE