Gore-TEX: What Is It, And Why Is It Important?

In fact, many of the major plastics used today began when commissioned to be used for the war effort (Freinkel, 6). When plastic was first brought to The United States, the American people loved it. Not only can plastic imitate other materials, but it is also much more affordable. Overall, plastic is cheap. The leap in plastic produced from the ‘40s until now is extremely substantial. For instance, in 1940 plastic was hardly used, in 1960 a single American used close to 30 pounds of plastic per year, today each individual uses more than 300 pounds of plastic per year (Freinkel, 6). A major impact on the amount of plastic used is directly related to the way Americans, starting in the 1940s, were now able to mass produce plastic products. For instance, a single plastic comb making machine could reproduce ten combs in less than one minute (Freinkel, 22). Overall, plastic is relatively inexpensive and it is made for mass manufacture. Considering this it is east to see why plastic became so popular in the first place, it was a plastic miracle. However, there is a direct relationship between the amount of plastic produced and the amount of plastics that are being polluted into the

For several decades, Teflon and its constituent PFOA were praised as the one and only solution regarding non-stick cooking ware and weather proofed clothing. When the first reports surfaced, describing the negative environmental impact of PFOA, consumers and NGOs started to question the safety of the substance for humans.

National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2010, for finding a way to stabilize the polymers used to coat

30-33). Edexcel Limited. Jenkins, A., Kratochvíl, P., Stepto, R. F., & Suter, U. W. (2009). Glossary of Basic Terms in Polymer Science. Pure and Applied Chemistry , 68 (12), 2287-2311.

PET(Polyethylene Terephthalate) vs PLA(Polylactide), which one is better or worse than the other? Both of these polymer is used in the world today. PET is perhaps the more famous one because of its cheap prices and many uses. 30 % of the global demand for PET happens to be plastic bottles. PLA the other type of polymer is just now gaining momentum being used as a bottle in the market today. It is derived from renewable resources (corn) that we can regrow a lot easier than the polymer that we harvest from trees. In my opinion I think there are a few more pros for PET then there are for PLA.

During the 1920s, Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger laid the groundwork for our modern understanding of polymer science. He suggested a new molecular model for polymers; one of long, chain-like molecules and not aggregates or cyclic compounds as previously thought. In 1928, his models were confirmed by Meyer and Mark. These two scientists studied the dimensions of natural rubber using x-ray techniques. By the 1930s, models were widely accepted and extensive development of synthetic polymers began in

Despite several advantages ,PLA has some drawbacks as well, which limits its use in certain applications3. PLA has poor toughness (very brittle material with less than 10% elongation at break), slow degradation rate (low crystallinity), hydrophobicity (hydrophobic with a static contact angle of approximately 80°), lack of reactive side chain groups and poor barrier properties (to moisture and air)3. Moreover, the poor melt strength restricts the applicability of specific processing techniques such as film blowing etc.

GORE-TEX fabric is a synthetic material so the production of it requires there to be some pollution. The making of ePTFE involves treating the material with several potent chemical which has some left over which is pollution and is not easily disposed of. GORE-TEX material has also pushed some other fabrics out of use. The market for army clothing was mostly wool, nylon, and other synthetic fabrics. After GORE-TEX was introduced it began to push other materials out of use causing people to loose their jobs and have a harder life. GORE-TEX, no matter how good, has some problems with

There are many accidental scientific discoveries in history, a very pertinent one being polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or Teflon. It is most popularly used on non-stick cookware, but is also used as a stain repellant, in the production of artificial body parts, as an electrical wire insulator, and as pipe lining to prevent corrosion, among others. Invented by Dr. Roy Plunkett, PTFE pushed the limits of innovation and has been used to improve human health. In recent years, controversy has risen as to the environmental effects PTFE has during production, and this has become a rising issue that is still being researched. While PTFE is considered serendipitous, a high degree of background knowledge on its components was needed in order to make conclusions as to what

"Plastic" entered the world through chemistry in 1909 and was originally coined to describe Bakelite, the first fully synthetic resin. What make's plastic so unique is when it is heated it can be molded but it retained its shape when cooled (Reddy, 2010). The modern plastic bag was not possible until the accidental discovery of the first industrially practical method of polyethylene synthesis in 1933. Fast forward to today, the use and

In the 1930s, numerous synthetic composite technological breakthroughs were born. “In 1935, Owens Corning launched the fiber reinforce polymer (FRP) industry by introducing the first fiber glass. In 1936, unsaturated polyester resins were patented. Because of their curing properties, they would become the dominant choice for resins in manufacturing today. In 1938, other higher performance resin systems like epoxies also became available.” (Cite) The creation of FRP was vital to the military during World War II due to its notably high to strength to weight ratio. Not only was FRP used for electronic housings and other electronic components, but was also used to create the first fiberglass reinforced boat hull. The war efforts spawned copious amounts of commercial products made with FRP. This is how synthetic and natural composites were revolutionized during the 20th century.

W.L. Gore & Associates is an American manufacturing company that specializes in making products derived from polytetrafluoroethylene, or simply PTFE. The company is best known for its Gore-Tex fabric coating, which makes fabric waterproof and windproof, but yet breathable. The company evolved from the late Wilbert L. Gore’s experiences personally, organizationally, and technically. Mr. Gore moved to E. I. du Pont de Nemours in 1945 where he was part of a team that worked on the development of applications for PTFE. Wilber Gore, or Bill to his coworkers, became knowledgeable in the development of computers and transistors. He believed that PTFE had the ideal insulating characteristics that would make PTFE useful in such equipment. A breakthrough happened in the basement in his house when Mr. Gore and his son Bob successfully created PTFE-coated ribbon by using PTFE sealant tape made by 3M. Because Du Pont wanted to remain a supplier of raw materials and not a fabricator, Bill was unsuccessful in convincing Du Pont to make his PTFE-coated ribbon cable. On January 1, 1958, Bill and his wife Vieve founded W.L. Gore & Associates in the basement of their house. The company took off when the Gores secured an order for $100,000. W.L. Gore continued to grow and manufacture products made from PTFE. Bill Gore died in 1986 while backpacking in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Before he died, he had become chairman and his son, Bob, president. Vieve was

Though polymers are a very beneficial thing now, but In the future I believe that at the very best that they will only hold the same value to society. I say this because polymers are not a very complicated item and it would be difficult to better this technology in a drastic way. The only further advancements I see are people discovering ways to make polymers stronger, more durable and better suited for extreme and

Polylactic acid polymers (PLA) appear to be a very promising material for use as a

The venture was to manufacture and market polyethylene (PE), ethyleneamines, ethanolamines, polypropylene (PP), and polycarbonate and related licensing and catalyst technologies. PE and PP comprise more than half of world polymer demand.2