FIBRES & PLASTICS

PLASTICS, POLYMERS & CERAMICS

N4CHEMISTRY

N4CHEMISTRY

After completing this topic you should be able to :

FIBRES & PLASTICS

• State synthetic materials are made by the chemical industry.

• State most plastics and synthetic fibres are made from chemicals derived from oil.

• Name examples of plastics include polythene, polystyrene, perspex, PVC, and nylon.

• Name examples of synthetic fibres include polyesters, e.g. Terylene, and nylon.

PLASTICS, POLYMERS & CERAMICS

N4CHEMISTRY

N4CHEMISTRY

FIBRES & PLASTICSSYNTHETIC & NATURAL

We use plastics and synthetic fibres everyday yet these have only been widely used in the past 50 years.

Plastics and synthetic fibres are man-made materials, this is why they are called SYNTHETIC.

Plastics are generally cheap to produce, and have very useful properties such as: lightness, strength and durability.

In addition, plastics are easily moulded into a variety of shapes and are excellent insulators of both heat and electricity.

Complete the Natural and Synthetic Fibres Table with information from the following slides.

Complete the Natural and Synthetic Fibres Table with information from the following slides.

Natural Fibres

COTTON From fibres of the cotton plant.

WOOLFrom spun hair of sheep.

LINENMade from fibres of a plant called flax.

SILKMade from fibres produce by silk worm larvae.

Synthetic Fibres

NYLONUsed to make jackets, sports bags, sportswear and ropes.

POLYESTERUsed to make trousers, shirts, sportswear. Some polyester clothes are labelled TERYLENE.

PlasticsThere are many different types of plastic.

Complete the Plastics And Their Uses Table with information from the following slides.

Complete the Plastics And Their Uses Table with information from the following slides.

POLYTHENEUsed to make bags, packaging, containers, food boxes.

PERSPEXUsed as replacement for glass but not as brittle as glass. Can easily be shaped. Used to make jewellery.

POLYPROPYLENE (POLYPROPENE)As a fibre used to make ropes and carpets. As a plastic it is used to make containers, packaging and combs.

POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC)

Used as floor covering, window frames, electrical insulation and water pipes.

POLYSTYRENE (Expanded)Used in packaging as it is light and absorbs knocks. It is a good heat insulator and is used in take-away food cartons.

POLYSTYRENE (Non-expanded)This is a rigid plastic and is used to make casings for TV’s, computers, cameras.

NylonNylon widely known as a fibre. Nylon as a plastic, is widely used in machine parts, as it is very strong.

SOURCE OF PLASTICS

Almost all plastics are produced from molecules, which have come from crude oil.

The molecules in crude oil are first separated by FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION.

CRACKING breaks down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules. This also produces ALKENES.

ETHENE is a very important molecule in the manufacture of plastics. In 2005 world production exceeded 75 million tonnes.