Plastic
hidePlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular weight, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs.
The word derives from the Greek πλαστικός (plastikos) meaning fit for molding, and πλαστός (plastos) meaning molded. It refers to their malleability, or plasticity during manufacture, that allows them to be cast, pressed, or extruded into an enormous variety of shapes—such as films, fibers, plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more.
The common word plastic should not be confused with the technical adjective plastic, which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (plastic deformation) when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum, for instance, is plastic in this sense, but not a plastic in the common sense; while some plastics, in their finished forms, will break before deforming and therefore are not plastic in the technical sense.
There are two types of plastics: thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics, if exposed to enough heat, will melt. Thermosets will keep their shape until they are charred and burnt. Some examples of thermoplastics are grocery bags, piano keys and some automobile parts. Examples of thermosets are children's dinner sets and circuit boards.
For more information about Plastic, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with plastic
Plasma-in-a-bag for sterilizing devices
3 hours ago |
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The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize health care in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. Through the years, numerous ways of sterilization ...
Did India invent the nose job?
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 29, 2009 |
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An Indian doctor working in 600 B.C. might have been the world's first plastic surgeon, according to a new exhibition that challenges Western domination of the history of science and technology.
New technique for injectable facial fillers improves comfort, recovery
Oct 28, 2009 |
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Less pain during injections for wrinkle-fighting facial fillers. Less swelling afterward. Less time in the office waiting for anesthesia to take effect.
Dining out in an ocean of plastic: How foraging albatrosses put plastic on the menu (w/ Video)
Oct 28, 2009 |
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The North Pacific Ocean is now commonly referred to as the world's largest garbage dump with an area the size of the continental United States covered in plastic debris. The highly mobile Laysan albatross (Phoebastria im ...
Surgery potentially best option for severe migraine headaches
Oct 26, 2009 |
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The disability from migraine headaches is an enormous health burden affecting over 30 million Americans.
Brighten up -- it's a new plastic optical fibre technology
Oct 19, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It may look like little more than fishing line, but plastic optical fibre or POF promises to revolutionise high-speed last-mile communications networks. Its evolution is being aided by groundbreaking ...
Plastic Logic to unveil first e-reader in January
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Plastic Logic, a US company whose planned electronic reader has attracted a lot of media buzz, said Monday that it will announce the availability and pricing of the device for business professionals in January.
Major advance in organic solar cells
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Professor Guillermo Bazan and a team of postgraduate researchers at UC Santa Barbara's Center for Polymers and Organic Solids (CPOS) today announced a major advance in the synthesis of organic polymers for plastic solar cells. ...
BPA linked to aggressive behavior in young girls, research suggests
Oct 08, 2009 |
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Pre-birth exposure to a chemical widely used in plastics appears to be linked to more aggressive behavior in little girls, according to research published Tuesday by a scientist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel ...
Solar Cell Researcher Explores Nanotech Ideas
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A UT Dallas researcher envisions a time soon when plastic sheets of solar cells are inexpensively stamped out in factories and then affixed to cell phones, laptops and other power-hungry mobile ...
Study examines treatment and outcomes for nasal fractures
Sep 21, 2009 |
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Both minimally invasive and traditional open approaches can successfully repair nasal fractures, provided the procedure is matched to the individual fracture, according to a report in the September/October issue of Archives of ...
Janus particles: particles with two faces
Sep 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have devised a method for fabricating Janus particles, so called because, like the Roman ...
Big Breasts Can Be an Even Bigger Pain Requiring Surgical Relief
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Contrary to pop-culture portrayals, big breasts aren't always an asset; for some women, they can be a literal pain in the neck.
Plastic surgeons should be part of disaster relief planning, response
Sep 10, 2009 |
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When a terrorist bomb explodes, a tornado rips through a town, a hurricane devastates a region, or wildfires ravage homes and businesses, plastic surgeons are not typically atop the list of emergency responders.
From Chicken Feathers to Flower Pots
Sep 09, 2009 |
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Chicken feathers, usually an unwanted byproduct of poultry processing, may have a more valuable future as an ingredient in biodegradable flower pots, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist.
