ABS is a copolymer of Acrylonitrile, Butadiene, and Styrene.  ABS plastics generally possess medium strength and performance and medium cost; ABS is often used as the cost and performance dividing line between standard plastics (PVC, polyethylene, polystyrene, etc.) and engineering plastics (acrylic, nylon, acetal, etc.).  ABS polymers can be engineered by the manufacturer togive a range of physical properties, depending on the ratio of the monomeric constituents and the molecular level connectivity.  Typically, a styrene-acrylonitrile glassy phase is toughened by an amorphous butadiene/butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber phase.

ABS is an amorphous thermoplastic blend. The recipe is 15-35% acrylnitrile, 5-30% butadiene and 40-60% styrene. Depending on the blend different properties can be achieved.

Acrylnitrile contributes with thermal and chemical resistence, and the rubberlike butadiene gives ductility and impact strength. Styrene gives the glossy surface and makes the material easily machinable and less expensive.

Generally, ABS has good impact strength also at low temperatures. It has satisfactory stiffness and dimensional stability, glossy surface and is easy to machine. If UV-stabilizators are added, ABS is suitable for outdoor applications.

Danish Name	ABS - acrylnitril-butadien-styren-terpolymer
Category	Plastics, Thermoplastics
Products	LEGO building bricks Computer mouse Vacuum jug KimBox suitcase Ceramic advanced wet shave razor Hedge cutter handle Handle for high pressure cleaner Shaver, rechargeable Ensemble chair (ABS blended with PA)
Processes	Plastic moulding Plastic injection moulding Extrusion Vacuum forming Printing
Similar materials	SAN ASA SB
Price	Medium cost plastic (see also Plastics general overview)
Environmen- tal notes	Creation: Production of 1 kg of ABS requires the equivalent of about 2 kg of oil (raw material and energy). Use: - Disposal: Incineration in an incineration plant mainly produces water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen compounds.
Additional Info	ABS is resistant to some bases but not to other solvents than alcohol. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer Properties: Density 1.04 Impact strength (notched Izod) 267 Melting point oC 103-128 Modulus (MPa) 2070 Tensile elongation at rupture (%) 25 Tensile yield (MPa) 41.4 ABS is derived from acrylonitrile, butadiene, and styrene. Acrylonitrile is a synthetic monomer produced from propylene and ammonia; butadiene is a petroleum hydrocarbon obtained from the C4 fraction of steam cracking; styrene monomer is made by dehydrogenation of ethyl benzene - a hydrocarbon obtained in the reaction of ethylene and benzene. The advantage of ABS is that this material combines the strength and rigidity of the acrylonitrile and styrene polymers with the toughness of the polybutadiene rubber. The most important mechanical properties of ABS are resistance and toughness. A variety of modifications can be made to improve impact resistance, toughness, and heat resistance. The impact resistance can be amplified by increasing the proportions of polybutadiene in relation to styrene and also acrylonitrile although this causes changes in other properties. Impact resistance does not fall off rapidly at lower temperatures. Stability under load is excellent with limited loads. Even though ABS plastics are used largely for mechanical purposes, they also have good electrical properties that are fairly constant over a wide range of frequencies. These properties are little affected by temperature and atmospheric humidity in the acceptable operating range of temperatures.[4] The final properties will be influenced to some extent by the conditions under which the material is processed to the final product; for example, molding at a high temperature improves the gloss and heat resistance of the product whereas the highest impact resistance and strength are obtained by molding at low temperature. ABS polymers are resistant to aqueous acids, alkalis, concentrated hydrochloric and phosphoric acids, alcohols and animal, vegetable and mineral oils, but they are swollen by glacial acetic acid, carbon tetrachloride and aromatic hydrocarbons and are attacked by concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. They are soluble in esters, ketones and ethylene dichloride. The aging characteristics of the polymers are largely influenced by the polybutadiene content, and it is normal to include antioxidants in the composition. On the other hand, while the cost of producing ABS is roughly twice the cost of producing polystyrene, ABS is considered superior for its hardness, gloss, toughness, and electrical insulation properties. However, it will be degraded (dissolve) [5] when exposed to acetone. ABS is flammable when it is exposed to high temperatures, such as a wood fire. It will "boil", then burst spectacularly into intense, hot flames.

References of this text are :

http://www.matweb.com/  & http://www.designinsite.dk/  & http://www.icis.com/ &

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Reference of this text is : http://www.icis.com/

Polyglycine

TRADE NAME: Nylon 2

CLASS: Polypeptides and proteins

MAJOR APPLICATIONS: Serves as a model for various proteins.

PROPERTIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST: Two crystalline forms of polyglycine, I and II, have

been observed. Form I is thought to have a structure where the individual chains

exist in a helical conformation and form sheets stabilized by hydrogen bonds.

SYNTHESIS: The synthesis is similar to that of poly(-benzyl-L-glutamate). (See also

the entry on Poly(-benzyl-L-glutamate) in this handbook.) It involves the conversion

ACRONYMS, TRADE NAMES:  PVDF, PVF2, Kynar, Solef, Neoflon, Foraflon, KF, Soltex

CLASS:  Vinylidene polymers

Poly(vinylidene fluoride), or PVDF, has a few things going for it. It has very high electrical resistance, and it has good flame resistance. Put these two bits of information together and it might dawn on you that this would make a good material for insulating electrical wires, especially ones that get hot during use. So you"ll find it insulating the wires in the computer you"re using right now. Electrical cables on airplanes are also insulated with PVDF, where it"s important that practically everything on board be fireproof. It"s also chemically resistant, so you"ll find it used in the chemical industry to make pipes and bottles and such that hold chemicals. What about ultraviolet radiation? PVDF resists that, too. PVDF is often blended with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to make it more resistant to UV light. PMMA degrades when exposed to UV radiation, so if we want to make PMMA windows for use outside we have to blend it with PVDF.

Another nifty thing about PVDF is that it"s a piezoelectric material. What does that mean? That means that when it"s placed in an electric field it changes its shape.

Why?

Because fluorine is so much more electronegative than carbon, the fluorine atoms will pull electrons away from the carbon atoms to which they are attached. This means the -CF₂- groups in the chain will be very polar, with a partial negative charge on the fluorine atoms and a partial positive charge on the carbon atoms. So when they"re placed in an electrical field, they align. This causes the polymer sample to deform, all those -CF₂- groups trying to align.

Now here"s the fun part:

If you put it in an alternating electrical field it"ll vibrate, deforming in one direction, and then in the opposite direction. This vibration can be used to produce sound. This is how piezoelectric tweeters work.

PVDF is made by free radical vinyl polymerization of the monomer vinylidene fluoride, like this:

 

Properties Glass transition temperature: -38oC. Melting temperature: 160oC. Amorphous density at 25oC: 1.74 g/cm3. Crystalline density at 25oC: 2.00 g/cm3. Molecular weight of repeat unit: 64.03 g/mol.   MAJOR APPLICATIONS:Wire and cable insulation, tubing, piping, sheet and melt-cast®lms for electrical and electronics, binder for high-quality metal ®nishes for uilding components used on exterior wall panels, roo®ng shingles, and on industrial, commercial and residential buildings, used in fluid handling systems for solid and lined pipes, ®ttings, valves, and pumps, in manufacture of microporous and ultra®ltration membranes, chemical-tank lining, telephone headset, infrared sensing, hydrophones, keyboards and, printers. PROPERTIES OF SPECIAL INTEREST:Excellent mechanical properties and resistance to severe environmental stress, good chemical resistance, good piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties PREPARATIVE TECHNIQUES Emulsion polymerization: (a) 300±800 psig, perfluorinated surfactant initiator, 65±858C, 2±6 h; (b) 200 lb in2, 50±1108C, fluorinated surfactant, 17±21 h, iron powder. Suspension polymerization: suspending agent, reaction accelerator, water soluble initiator, 300±1,000 psig, 35±1008C. click this for Typical physical properties references of this text are : 1- http://pslc.ws/  2- http://www.polymerprocessing.com/ 3- Polymer Data Handbook. Copyright # 1999 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Polyethylenes: Polyethylene (PE) Low density polyethylene (LDPE) High density polyethylene (HDPE) Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE)

New magnetic polymers may advance spintronics technologies

The magnetic polymer is produced when copper ions bind to pyrazine molecules creating a sheet-like structure, shown in the blue-purple crystals. Like a Tinkertoy ® building block, the bifluoride ion, shown in green, acts as a bridge to hold the planes together. The product is a three-dimensional coordination polymer, held together by one of the strongest hydrogen bonds known, making this a very thermally stable material. Credit: Argonne National Laboratory

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy"s Argonne National Laboratory have pioneered a new approach for making magnetic polymers that are held together with very strong hydrogen bonds. These polymers contain an innovative bifluoride, HF₂–, building block that allows a magnetically ordered state to be obtained. The development may help lead to new techniques for faster and more versatile computer chips, among other applications.

reference of this text is : http://www.physorg.com/