Notes: FE Engg.

Chemistry
Unit-III: Engineering Materials

A] Specialty polymers B] Nanomaterials

A] Specialty polymers: In this unit we shall cover following speciality polymers as per syllabus.

1. Engineering Thermoplastic : Polycarbonate

2. Bio-degradable polymer: Poly(hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate)

3. Conducting polymer : Polyacetylene

4. Electroluminescent polymer : Polyphenylenevinylene

5. Polymer Composites : Fiber reinforced plastics – Glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced
polymer composites

Engineering Thermoplastic: Engineering Thermoplastics are the group of materials obtained from
high polymer resins, which provide one or more outstanding properties when compared with
commodity thermoplastics like polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, etc.

Advantages of Engineering Thermoplastic:

1. High thermal stability,

2. Better chemical resistance
3. High tensile strength
4. High flexibility
5. High mechanical strength
6. Light weight
7. Easily mouldable

Due to these properties, they can be used like metals, alloys and ceramics. Many of such polymers can
be used as substitutes for metals, ceramics.

They are useful in various sectors like automobiles, electrical and electronic, telecommunication,
textiles, computer components, etc.

1) Engineering Thermoplastic – Polycarbonate

Preparation:
Polycarbonates are thermoplastic polyesters. They are commercially known as Lexan or Merlon.
It is obtained by interacting Bisphenol - A with diphenyl carbonate.

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Properties:
1. It has very high impact strength over wide range of temperature.
2. It is a highly transparent plastic, refractive index = 1.58, means higher light transmittance.
3. It is resistant to water and many organic compounds but is soluble in number of organic solvents
and alkalis.
4. It has a good heat resistance upto 140oC.
5. It has low combustibility. It melts around 265oC.
6. Polycarbonates have limited chemical and scratch resistance and become yellow with long term
UV exposure.
7. It has a good thermal and oxidative stability in melt.
8. Its specific gravity = 1.2 gm/cc, Tm = 230 -250 ̊ C, Tg = 145 ̊ C

Applications:
1. Electrical and electronic components: It is useful in making electrical and electronic
components like industrial plugs, sockets, switches, cell phone covers, laptops, pagers.
2. Data storage: It is useful in making data storage devises like CD’s, DVD’s by injection
moulding.
3. Optical applications: Because of high optical clarity it is used in making sunglasses, swimming
and scuba goggles, head lamp lenses, wind screens for small planes and helicopters.
It is also used in making electronic display screens for mobile phones and some portable LCDs.
They are also useful in thin UV eyeglass lenses.
4. Construction material: as they have high impact strength useful as substitute for window glass,
dome lights, sound walls, etc.
5. Security components: It can be laminated to make bullet proof glass.
6. General applications: hair drier bodies, camera bodies, transparent food containers, cooking
utensil covers, glasses, water bottles, toys, etc.

2) Biodegradable polymers:

Definition: It is the process of converting polymer material into harmless simple gaseous products, by
the action of enzymes of micro-organisms and water.

Bacteria derive energy (food) from such fragments, survive and finally the fragments are converted to
gases like N2, CO2, CH4 etc. However the overall process of biodegradation is slow.

Need for Biodegradable Polymers:

i) To reduce the non biodegradable synthetic plastic solid waste, this affects environment badly.
ii) Degradation of synthetic polymers produces harmful products, which causes pollution.
iii) To reduce the dependence of man on synthetic polymers, which are made from the petroleum
fractions whose reserves are limited.
iv) Biodegradable polymers if used, they will reduce the solid waste disposal problem and pollution,
being eco-friendly.
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Factors responsible for biodegradation:
a. Microorganisms:
Naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae are responsible for
biodegradation of polymers, by breaking C – C bond. The process takes place at very slow rate.
b. Environment :
For the survival, action of microorganisms and for biodegration process to function, suitable
conditions like temperature, moisture, pH, oxygen, salts, pressure light etc are important.
c. Nature of polymer:
For biodegradation, nature of polymer also should be favourable. Biodegradation process
proceeds by hydrolysis and oxidation. Types of functional groups, substituents, molecular
weight if favourable, biodegradation becomes easier. Presence of aromatic rings makes tough for
biodegrdation.

Applications of Biodegradable Polymers:

1. Packaging: Polymer like biopol, starch filled polyethylene etc. can be converted to films, which
are useful for packaging, lamination, carrybags, disposable bottles etc. They do not pose
pollution problem.
2. Agriculture: Biodegradable polymers are preferred in agriculture field for time released coatings
for fertilizers and pesticides.
3. Moulded articles: Biodegradable polymers like biopol, poly caprolactone etc. can be used for
injection moulding, blow moulding articles of common consumer applications.
4. Medical field: Polymers like HBHV, poly lactic acid are used in controlled drug delivery.They
are also useful in biomedical applications like surgical sutures, organs regeneration, orthopaedic
treatment, cell transplantation.

e.g. Biopol / PHBV (Poly hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalarate) as Biodegradable Polymer:

Preparation: It is prepared by using 3-hydroxybutanoic acid and 3-hydroxypentanoic acid. Biopol is

trade name of HB-HV or PHBV copolymer.

Properties:
1. PHB is brittle material, which is difficult to process, but addition of HV improves many
properties as increase in impact strength, flexibility & toughness; while decrease in melting
point & in crystallinity.
2. Physical properties vary with HV content of polymer.
3. HV content increases in the range of 0.2 %, polymer flexibility, toughness increases.
4. Melting point reaches minimum at about 30 % mole hydroxyvalerate.
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 5. Resistance of PHBV to oils is very good.
6. Polymer is moisture resistant and impermeable.
7. It is soft, flexible and easily mouldable.
8. It is crystalline, optically active.
9. It is non toxic.
10. It is susceptible to hydrolysis above pH 9 and below pH 3, it can be dissolved in number of
chlorinated solvents like chloroform and methylene chloride.
Biodegradation of PHBV:
It shows complete biodegradation in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Rate of degradation
depends on moisture, nutrient supply, temperature, Ph, etc.

Applications of PHBV:
1) Medical applications: It is used in controlled drug delivery. Currently it is used for internal
suture.
2) Packaging: It is used for films, packaging lamination.
3) It is also useful in making blow moulded bottles.

3) Conducting Polymers:

Organic polymers in general, are bad conductors of electricity, because of non-availability of free
electrons.

Structural Requirements:
An organic polymer shows appreciable conductivity if,
(i) The polymer chain contains conjugation (alternate σ and π bonds) throughout its chains, so that there
are resonating or mobile electrons for conduction.
(ii) Such polymer is highly crystalline and there is high planarity in structure.
(iii) Presence of aromatic rings in the chain with continuous resonance enhances conductivity.
(iv) Polymer should have linear chains.

Examples of conducting polymers:

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Types of conducting polymers:
1) Intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP): An intrinsically conducting polymer material is the
one which can conduct electricity by its own e.g. trans -polyacetylene, polypyrrole, etc
Conductivity range of insulators, semiconductors and conductors in siemens /cm, is given below-

2) Extrinsically conducting polymer (ECP): An extrinsically conducting polymer material is the

one which is filled with metal powder, metal filaments or graphite powder to make it
conducting.
Types of Extrinsically conducting polymers / Doping of Polymers:
Conductivity of polymer chains with conjugation, can be increased to the extent of metals, on doping.
In the doping process, the polymer is either oxidized (removal of electrons) or reduced (addition
of electrons), so that the polymer chain carries the resonating charge. The important doping reactions
are given below, for polyacetylene,
a) Oxidative or P-doping: The oxidizing reagents for P-doping are like iodine vapours, I2 dissolved
in CCl4, HBF4, HClO4, Br2, etc.

The positive charge resonates throughout the polymer chain & can be transferred to neighbouring
chains.

b) Reductive or n-doping: The reducing agents for n-doping are like Na metal, FeCl2, lithium metal,
sodium naphthalide, etc.

The negative charge resonates throughout the chain and transferred to neighbouring chains, through
Na+ during the conduction.
c) Protonic doping: A polymer like polyaniline, can be H+- doped, with acid solution.

Applications:
1) Rechargeable batteries: The doped conducting polymers have high charge carrier concentrations,
they are used as promising charge storage material. These batteries of small size, long lasting
can be produced and they can produce high current density upto 50 mA/cm2. They have high
charge to weight ratio.
2) Optical filters: Radiations from computer screens, other electrical devices can be absorbed by
conductive polymers by coating on casing.
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 3) As antistatic material: To avoid static electricity in plastic carpets in offices, theatres, doped
polyacetylene can be used as antistatic material. Coating an insulator with conductive polymer is
also important for explosives industry, computer industry as antistatic materials.
4) Sensors: The conductive polymers have chemical properties suitable to use them as sensors for
pH, O2, NO2, SO2, NH3, glucose, reducing and oxidizing chemicals, for the study of their even
very low concentrations.
5) In electronics: They are used for photodiodes, light emitting wall-papers, light emitting diodes
(LED)and data storage.
6) Photovoltaic cells.
7) In telecommunication systems.

4) Electroluminescent Polymer -:
Definition: The property in which a material produces bright light of different colours when stimulated
electronically is known as electroluminescence. The material which shows electroluminescence, is
called as Electroluminescent polymers
Ex. Polyparaphenylene Vinylene (PPV)

Preparation:

Properties:
1. PPV is diamagnetic material.
2. It has a very low intrinsic electrical conductivity.
3. Gives bright-yellow electroluminescence.
4. It is insoluble in water.
5. Its conductivity increases on doping.

Applications of PPV:
1. In the form of thin films for information displays.
3. Automotive instrument panel backlighting.
5. Electroluminescent night lamps.
7. Flat panel displays.
2. Photovoltaic cells
4. Backlight for liquid crystal displays.
6. Long life, full colour displays.
8. Theatre, assembly hall decoration.

5) Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) / Polymer Composite:

A polymer and a reinforcing material as a two phase mixture, with interfaces between them, is
The polymer composite has properties of both the materials in combination.

The polymer phase is called as matrix phase and the composite used for mixing is known as
dispersed phase. The boundaries between the matrix and dispersed phase are known as interface.

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Functions of Matrix Constituent in Polymer
Composite:

i) To bind the reinforcing particles/fibres strongly.

ii) It acts as medium for distribution of applied load to
the dispersed phase.
iii) It keeps the reinforcing fibres in proper orientation
for the high strength development.
iv) It prevents propagation of cracks due to its
plasticity.

Some Important Dispersed Phase Constituents are given below:

a) Glass Fibres: The glass fibres are produced by passing a glass melt through small orifices and
cooled. It offers very high tensile strength, higher thermal stability, high toughness and impact
strength, to the polymer matrix.
b) Carbon fibres: They are prepared from carbon by oxidation under tension at low temperature and
then carbonization at 1000 ̊ C. these are stiff, strong, even at high temperature.
c) Aramid fibres: Aramid is the aromatic polyamide e. g. Nomex, Kevlar. It has liquid – crystal
polymer property. The fibres have very high tensile strength, impact resistance, high thermal
stability.

Properties:
1) Low coefficients of expansion.
2) Low cost of production.
3) High dimensional stability.
4) High tensile strength.
5) High heat stability and therefore usable at higher working temperature.
6) Better abrasion/wear resistance.
7) Better toughness and impact strength.

Applications:
1) Automobile bodies, chassis parts, racing vehicle components.
2) Boats body, propeller shafts.
3) Parts of aircrafts.
4) Sport goods, musical instruments, toys etc.
5) High speed machinery parts, PCB, equipment parts, bodies of refrigerator, coolers, cabins for
offices, windows, doors.