polystyrene

For architectural and engineering modelling, polystyrene is extruded into forms of standard modelling scale with the cross-sections of a miniature I-beam as well as rods and tubes. It is also formed into sheets with various patterns for this purpose as well. The blank sheets of polystyrene are referred to as "plasticard" in Britain, after the vulgarization of a trademark, but are called "sheet styrene" in the US. Polystyrene fabricated into a sheet can be stamped (formed) into economic, disposable cups, glasses, bowls, lids, and other ...

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Standard bulk form

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Finishing

Polystyrene's most common use, however, is as expanded polystyrene, which is a mixture of about 5% polystyrene and 95% gaseous blowing agent. Commonly known by the trade name Styrofoam®, this is the lightweight material of which coffee cups and takeaway food containers are made. The voids filled with trapped air give expanded polystyrene low thermal conductivity. This makes it ideal as a construction material and it is used in structural insulated panel building systems. It is also used as insulation in building structures, as molded ...

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Solid foam

Plastic is a term that covers a range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. They are composed of organic condensation or addition polymers and may contain other substances to improve performance or economics. There are few natural polymers generally considered to be "plastics". Plastics can be formed into objects or films or fibers. Their name is derived from the fact that many are malleable, having the property of plasticity. Plastics are designed with immense variation in properties such as heat tolerance, hardness, ...

Including:

Plastic - Natural polymers Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon Plastic - Bakelite phenolic Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC Plastic - Nylon Plastic - Synthetic rubber Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc. Plastic - The environment
Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics
Plastic - Price and the future Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia - Plastic

An amorphous solid is a solid in which there is no long-range order of the positions of the atoms. (Solids in which there is long-range atomic order are called crystalline solids.) Most classes of solid materials can be found or prepared in an amorphous form. For instance, common window glass is an amorphous ceramic, many polymers (such as polystyrene) are amorphous, and even foods such as cotton candy are amorphous solids. Amorphous materials are commonly prepared by rapidly cooling molten material. The cooling reduces the mob ...

Including:

Amorphous solid - Glasses
Amorphous solid - Metallic glass
Amorphous solid - Other synthesis routes
Amorphous solid - Damage Amorphous solid - Cold Deposition
Amorphous solid - Toward a strict definition

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A vacuum mattress (vacmat) is a medical device used for the immobilisation of patients, especially in case of a vertebra, pelvis or limb trauma (especially for femur trauma). It is also used for manual transportation of patients for short distances (it replaces the stretcher). It was invented by Loed and Haederlé, who called it "shell" mattress (matelas coquille in French). It consists in a sealed polymer bag (bigger than an adult human body) that encloses small polystyrene balls, with a valve, strap ...

Including:

Vacuum mattress - Use of the vacuum mattress
Vacuum mattress - Preparation of the vacuum mattress Vacuum mattress - Moulding the mattress
Vacuum mattress - Advantages and disadvantages
Vacuum mattress - External links

Read more here: » Vacuum mattress: Encyclopedia - Vacuum mattress

Burley tobacco is a light air-cured tobacco used primarily for cigarette production. In the United States it is producted in an eight state belt with approximately 70% produced in Kentucky. Tennessee produces approximately 20% with smaller amounts produced in Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. Burley tobacco is produced in many other countries with major production in Brazil, Malawi and Argentina. In the U.S., burley tobacco plants are started from pelletized seeds placed in polystyrene trays f ...

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The resin identification code symbol for polystyrene, developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry so that items can be labeled for easy recycling, is . Unfortunately, the majority of polystyrene products are currently not recycled due to a lack of suitable recycling facilities. Furthermore, when it is "recycled," it is not a closed loop — polystyrene cups and other packaging materials are usually recycled into fillers in other plastics, or other items that can not be themselves recycled and are thrown away. The Unicode character is &#9848, which will appear here if you have a su ...

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Standard markings

Expanded polystyrene is very easily cut with a hot-wire foam cutter, which is easily made by a heated and taut length wire, usually nichrome due to nichrome's resistance to oxidation at high temperatures and its suitable electrical conductivity. The hot wire foam cutter works by heating the wire to the point where it can vaporize foam immediately adjacent to it. The foam gets vaporized before actually touching the heated wire, which yields exceptionally smooth cuts. Polystyrene, shaped and cut with hot wire foam cutters, is used in architecture models, actual signage, amusement park an ...

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping

Pure polystyrene is brittle, but hard enough that a fairly high-performance product can be made by giving it some of the properties of a stretchier material, such as polybutadiene rubber. The two materials cannot normally be mixed due to the amplified effect of intermolecular forces on polymer solubility (see plastic recycling), but if polybutadiene is added during polymerization it can become chemically bonded to the polystyrene, forming a graft copolymer which helps to incorporate normal polybutadiene into the final mix, resulting in hi ...

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Polystyrene, Polystyrene - Standard bulk form, Polystyrene - Solid foam, Polystyrene - Standard markings, Polystyrene - Toughening, Polystyrene - Cutting and shaping, Polystyrene - Finishing

Read more here: » Polystyrene: Encyclopedia II - Polystyrene - Toughening

After the First World War, improvements in chemical technology led to an explosion in new forms of plastics. Among the earliest examples in the wave of new plastics were "polystyrene" (PS) and "polyvinyl chloride" (PVC), developed by IG Farben of Germany. Polystyrene is a rigid, brittle plastic that is now used to make plastic model kits, disposable eating utensils, and similar knickknacks. It would also be the basis for one of the most popular "foamed" plastics, under the name "styrene foam" or "Styrofoam". Foam plastics can be synth ...

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Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC

The limitations of celluloid led to the next major advance, known as "phenolic" or "phenol-formaldehyde" plastics. A chemist named Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a Belgian-born American living in New York state, was searching for an insulating shellac to coat wires in electric motors and generators. Baekeland found that mixtures of phenol (C6H5OH) and formaldehyde (HCOH) formed a sticky mass when mixed together and heated, and the mass beca ...

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Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Bakelite phenolic

Other plastics emerged in the prewar period, though some would not come into widespread use until after the war. By 1936, American, British, and German companies were producing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), better known as "acrylic". Although acrylics are now well known for their use in paints and synthetic fibers, such as "fake furs", in their bulk form they are actually very hard and more transparent than glass, and are sold as glass replacements under trade names such as "Plexiglas" and "Lucite". Plexiglas was used to build aircraft canopies durin ...

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Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic, polyethylene, etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic, polyethylene, etc.

Other plastics emerged in the prewar period, though some would not come into widespread use until after the war. By 1936, American, British, and German companies were producing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), better known as "acrylic". Although acrylics are now well known for their use in paints and synthetic fibers, such as "fake furs", in their bulk form they are actually very hard and more transparent than glass, and are sold as glass replacements under trade names such as "Plexiglas" and "Lucite". Plexiglas was used to build aircraft canopies during ...

See also:

Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc.

The material is often used as an alternative to glass. Differences in the properties of the two materials include: PMMA is lighter: its density (1190 kg/m3) is about half that of glass. PMMA does not shatter. PMMA is softer and more easily scratched than glass. This can be overcome with scratch-resistant coatings. PMMA can be easily formed, by heating it to 100 degrees Celsius. PMMA transmits more light (92% of visible light) than glass. Unlike glass, PMMA does not filter U ...

See also:

Polymethyl methacrylate, Polymethyl methacrylate - Properties, Polymethyl methacrylate - Uses, Polymethyl methacrylate - External link

Read more here: » Polymethyl methacrylate: Encyclopedia II - Polymethyl methacrylate - Properties

Another plastic that was critical to the war effort was "synthetic rubber", which was produced in a variety of forms. The first synthetic rubber polymer was obtained by Lebedev in 1910. Practical synthetic rubber grew out of studies published in 1930 written independently by American Wallace_Carothers, Russian scientist Lebedev and the German scientist Hermann Staudinger. These studies led in 1931 to one of the first successful synthetic rubbers, known as "neoprene". Neoprene is highly resistant to heat and chemicals such as oil and gasoline, and is used in fuel hoses ...

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Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Synthetic rubber

People have been using natural organic polymers for centuries in the form of waxes and shellacs. A plant polymer named "cellulose" provides the structural strength for natural fibers and ropes, and by the early 19th century natural rubber, tapped from rubber trees, was in widespread use. Eventually, inventors learned to improve the properties of natural polymers. Natural rubber was sensitive to temperature, becoming sticky and smelly in hot weather and brittle in cold weather. In 1834, two inventors, Friedrich Ludersdorf of Germany and Nathaniel Hayward of the U.S., independently discovered that adding sulfur to raw rubber helpe ...

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Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Natural polymers

All Goodyear had done with vulcanization was improve the properties of a natural polymer. The next logical step was to use a natural polymer, cellulose, as the basis for a new material. Inventors were particularly interested in developing synthetic substitutes for those natural materials that were expensive and in short supply, since that meant a profitable market to exploit. Ivory was a particularly attractive target for a synthetic replacement. An Englishman from Birmingham named Alexander Parkes developed a "synthetic ivory" ...

See also:

Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon

Originally made of wood or balsa the first surfboards were often over 15 feet in length and extremely heavy. The major advances over the years were the addition of a fin on the bottom rear of the board to improve directional stability and a change of materials. Modern surfboards are made of polyurethane or polystyrene foam covered with layers of fibreglass cloth and polystyrene or epoxy resin. The end result is a light and strong surfboard that is buoyant and manoeuverable. Long-boards as the name suggests are longer (7-12ft), and als ...

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Surfboard, Surfboard - Materials, Surfboard - Design

Read more here: » Surfboard: Encyclopedia II - Surfboard - Materials

Although plastics have had a remarkable impact globally, it has become increasingly obvious that there is a price to be paid for their use. Plastics are almost too good, as they are durable and degrade very slowly. In some cases, burning plastic can release toxic fumes. Also, the manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants, and requires use of the Earth's limited supply of fossil fuels. However, it should be noted that plastics only consume 4% of the world's oil production. Furthermore, it can be cl ...

See also:

Plastic, Plastic - Natural polymers, Plastic - Cellulose-based plastics: celluloid and rayon, Plastic - Bakelite phenolic, Plastic - Polystyrene and PVC, Plastic - Nylon, Plastic - Synthetic rubber, Plastic - Plastics explosion: acrylic polyethylene etc., Plastic - The environment, Plastic - Biodegradable Plastics, Plastic - Price and the future, Plastic - Common plastics and their typical uses, Plastic - Special purpose plastics

Read more here: » Plastic: Encyclopedia II - Plastic - The environment