塑料的历史history_of_plastics(编辑修改稿)

塑料的历史history_of_plastics(编辑修改稿)内容摘要：

n developed for optical recording media. Virtually all CD’s, CDROM’s and DVD’s are manufactured using polycarbonate. A number of scientists have been named Nobel Laureates for their pioneering work in the field of polymers or macromolecules. They include: Hermann Staudinger for his many discoveries in the field of macromolecular chemistry. (1953) Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta for their discoveries related to polymer chemistry and new polymerization technologies. (1963) Paul J. Flory for fundamental achievements, both theoretical and experimental, in the physical chemistry of macromolecules. (1974) . de Gennes for creating the reptation model of polymer dynamics used to predict polymer properties and viscosity. (1991) Alan J. Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid and H. Shirakawa for the discovery and development of inherently conductive polymers. (20xx) The Nobel Prize The Plastics Engineering Program at UMass Lowell (then known as Lowell Technological Institute) was founded by the late Russell W. Ehlers in 1954. High Density Polyethylene The thermoplastic known as ―high density polyethylene‖ (HDPE) was first produced mercially by Phillips Petroleum in 1955. It was given the tradename Marlex 174。 . This new thermoplastic offered a good balance of mechanical properties, low specific gravity, electrical insulation, and chemical resistance. However, the material had few markets in those early years. Then came the Hula Hoop ! Richard Knerr and Artur Melin, founders of the WhamO Company, were the architects of the biggest ―fad‖ of all time – the ―Hula Hoop‖. The Hula Hoop evolved from bamboo hoops previously used in Australia. At the peak of this craze in 1958, WhamO was using 1,000,000 pounds of HDPE each week for Hula Hoop production. They were the largest user of HDPE at the time. The Monsanto House of the Future was constructed at Disneyland in 1957. The frame and structure of the house were 100% plastic. The house featured a number of innovations including a visual phone, an ultrasonic dishwasher, and a microwave oven. The house had four cantilevered wings floating above beautifully landscaped grounds and waterfalls. Like many concept designs, Monsanto’s House of the Future was never mass produced. However, today the building and construction industry is one of the largest and fastest growing markets for plastics. Working at the Milan Polytechnic Institute, Professor Guillo Natta had been examining propylene reactions attempting to find a new mercial polymer. The best efforts of other researchers had yielded only soft, gummy substances which showed no promise. His work was of great importance as it represented the first attempt to ―engineer‖ a polymer molecule to a predetermined specification using a designed polymerization technology. The first molecular mechanic succeeded in 1954, building a long chain stereoregular polypropylene molecule. Polypropylene went into production in 1957 and is now a modity plastic offering a very good balance of properties that include stiffness, toughness, chemical resistance, and translucent optics. One very unique characteristic of polypropylene is its ability function for thousands of cycles as an ―integral hinge‖. Polypropylene and its copolymers are among the most widely used thermoplastics. Professor Natta was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this work. The first student chapter of the Society of Plastics Engineers was established at the Lowell Technological Institute (now UMass Lowell) in 1959. Plastics Engineering Education Today, there are 112 student chapters chartered by the Society of Plastics Engineers around the world. Plastics are used extensively in the medical industry. One of the most interesting medical applications for plastics is the ―artificial hip‖. Each prosthesis is made up of two parts: the acetabular ponent (socket portion) that replaces the acetabulum, and the femoral ponent (stem portion) that replaces the femoral head. The femoral ponent is made of titanium, while the acetabular ponent is made of a metal shell with a plastic inner socket liner. The plastic liner is molded from Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and acts like a bearing. The UHMWPE is extremely tough, abrasion resistant and has a very low coefficient of friction. This is a very good example of how plastics and metals work together to enhance our quality of life. UHMWPE acetabular Titanium stem Mr. McGuire: Come with me for a minute. I want to talk to you. I just want to say one word to you. Just one word. Ben: Yes, sir. Mr. McGuire: Are you listening ? Ben: Yes sir, I am. Mr. McGuire: PLASTICS. Ben: Exactly how do you mean ? Mr. McGuire: There is a great future in plastics. Think about it. Will you think about it ? Ben: Yes I will. The Graduate, starring Dustin Hoffman, is released by Embassy Pictures in 1967. A memorable poolside scene from the movie: On July 20, 1969 – the human race acplished its greatest technological achievement of all time when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. This feat would not have been possible without many materials science developments. Plastics played an important roll. For example, the Apollo A7L space suits were a multilayer plastic structure prised of nylon fabric, neoprene coated nylon fabric, Dacron174。 (PET) fabric, aluminized Mylar174。 (PET) film, Kapton174。 (PI) film, and Teflon174。 (PTFE) coated fabric. The “fish bowl” helmet was produced from transparent polycarbonate. The space suits of today make even more extensive use of plastics. Relying on experience and instinct, Stephanie Kwolek invented one of the modern world39。 s most readily recognized and widely used materials: Kevlar174。 . Kwolek, a DuPont chemist, specializ。