Polycarbonate Vs. Acrylic

In this report I exit thoroughly deal the chemical substance properties, makeup and trenchantness of the polymers polycarbonate and acrylate resin resin. I will evaluate the ongoing use of each and conclude which is weaken and more cost-efficient in various situations. To understand this topic, a full taste of polymers is required. A polymer is more commonly referred to as a elastic. The simplest translation of a polymer is roundthing that has been made by legion(predicate) an an otherwise(prenominal)(prenominal) units although they be more than more complex than this. A polymer is much like a kitchen campaign; each link of the filament is the monomer or al-Qaida unit. This monomer or base unit is usually made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and/or silicon. The chain is tranquil of many of these monomers polymerised together, or in this analogy, many links of the chain get together together. Polymerisation is simply the linking of the monomers to form the pol ymer (Ameri bunghole Chemistry, 2007). There argon twain man-made polymers much(prenominal) as the plastic in plastic bottles and natural polymers such(prenominal) as tortoise shell and horns. Many common polymers atomic number 18 composed of hydrocarbons (See Diagram 1). As piece of tail be seen, carbon makes up the backbone of the molecule and hydrogen atoms are bonded off the Carbon. nigh examples of polymers that contain only carbon and hydrogen molecules are polypropylene, poly be facial expressionsene and polystyrene. Polymers strike many, many uses in today?s society. Polycarbonate is a polymer which alike has many uses in today?s society. Polycarbonates are long-chain linear polyesters of carbonic acid and dihydric phenols, such as bisphenol-A (A spotter to polycarbonate in general, 2007). Polycarboante is organize when phosgene gas reacts with bisphenol-A (Jeannot, 2003). This completed solution (chemical body twist of polycarbonate) fecal matter be seen le ft in figure 2. To full understand the prope! rties of polycarbonate, one must(prenominal) understand why the properties are the way they are. To the left is a diagram of the chemical structure of bisphenol-A. In this diagram twain six-sided honeycomb shaped structures foundation be seen. These are called phenyl groups. dickens groups labelled CH3 can also be seen. CH3 represents methyl groups. The straw man of the phenyl groups on the molecular chain and the deuce methyl side groups contribute to molecular hardship in the polycarbonate. The properties of polycarbonate are generally affected by the inclementness cause by this combination. This is through by first; the magnet amongst both of the phenyl groups between different molecules helps to ?fix in place? the individual molecules. The resulting item is ingenuous thermal resistor but relatively relaxed viscosity during processing. The inflexibility and the omit of mobility prevent polycarbonate from developing a meaningful crystalline structure. This want of crystalline structure allows for firing transparency (A lapse to polycarbonate in general, 2007). Polycarbonate is naturally transparent, to the highest degree as transparent as glass. It has senior high strength, toughness, heat fortress, and dainty dimensional and colour stability. Flame retardants can be added to polycarbonate without significant loss of properties. One of the biggest advantages of polycarbonate is its high violation strength. The diagram preceding(prenominal) compares the shock strength of polycarbonate to various separate polymers (Paying grammatical constituenticular tending to the variation between polycarbonate (PC) and acrylic fiber). Although this is an outstanding polymer for a transmutation of uses, it does have its disadvantages. It has only fair chemical resistance and is attacked by many organic solvents. It is also fairly costly compared to other plastics. Some of the many uses of polycarbonate include beness an sample plan plasti c due to its ease of being moulded, flack moulded an! d extruded including having good electric caral insulating properties. This means it is applied in electric measuring rod housing and covers. As well as this polycarbonate is utilise as casket hardware, portable tool housings, safety helmets (due to its extemely high tint strength), computer parts and even vandal proof windows and type lap proof windows utilize in large bank safes. The evaluate of polycarbonate makes it more worthy for application mainly in engineering. some other big use of polycarbonate that hasn?t been mentioned is plastic lenses in shades due to its high transparency and impact resistance. acrylic fiber refers to a family of synthetic polymers that contain one or more derivatives of acrylic acid. The most common of these is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). PMMA is a tough, super transparent veridical giving it many similarities to polycarbonate which is why the two are in competition. Acrylic has splendiferous resistance to ultraviolet radiation radiation and weathering. It can be coloured, moulded, cut, drilled, and formed. Acrylic polymers are formed by the reaction of a monomer, the most common being methyl methacrylate with a atom smasher.

Organic Peroxide would be a typical catalyst. The catalyst provides the activation energy indispensable to start the polymerisation but does not become part of the polymer. The chemical structure of Acrylic can be seen in the diagram to the left. Acrylic, being nearly crystal clear is an excellent option for display cases. The thicker Acrylic material can shell against beta radiation. Acrylic is visible(prenominal) in a wide regalia of forms and colours as well as be! ing machineable and bendable. It can be used in a wide range of applications such as aquariums, picture frames, shelves and cabinets. Compared to polycarbonate, acrylic has a volume lower impact resistance, cannot be bulletproof within a reasonable thickness, less(prenominal) bendable and formable and is harder to work with but on the other reach out compared to acrylic, polycarbonate is more likely to scratch, the clarity isn?t as high, yellows afterwards time due to the UV cleared whereas Acrylic doesn?t and is a lot more expensive. The facts presented have proved that at that place is no definite resolution to which is better, Acrylic of Polycarbonate. The truth is both polymers are more suitable in the other depending on the various applications which they are being used for. Both products are more effective at some tasks and less effective at some tasks than the other. BibliographyA guide to polycarbonate in general. (2007). Retrieved exhibit 6, 2009, from Polymer engine ering and Services: http://www.ptsllc.com/polcarb_intro.htmAmerican Chemistry. (2007). Plastics: the basics of polymer chemistry. Retrieved marching 6, 2009, from AmericanChemistry: http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/doc.asp?CID=1102&DID=4664Baird, R. J. (1986). In Industrial Plastics. The Goodheart-Willcox Company. Choo, D. (2007). Acrylic (Plexiglas) vs. Polycarbonate (Lexan). Retrieved butt against 6, 2009, from HEMINEKO.NET: http://hemineko.net/wp/acrylic-plexiglas-vs-lexan/Dynalab. (n.d.). Plastic Properties of Polymethylmethacrylate (ACRYLIC) . Retrieved March 6, 2009, from Dynalab: http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical_info_acrylic.aspJeannot, M. A. (2003). Baffled By the Baby Bottle. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from trip instruct Notes: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/baffled/baffled_notes.html If you want to get a full essay, line of battle it on our website: BestEssay Cheap.com

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