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2021 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

9. Polyethylene—The Material of Chance

Author : M. Grant Norton

Published in: Ten Materials That Shaped Our World

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

This chapter begins by looking at the history of polyethylene from its unintended synthesis through to its position as the most widely used, by far, plastic. Consisting of relatively simple molecular chains, containing just two types of atom carbon and hydrogen, polyethylene can be shaped into fibers, pipes, a wide array of containers, made into a foam, and blown into transparent films thinner than a human hair. These different forms enable a range of applications from safely insulating electric power lines to reliably transporting natural gas. This chapter also looks at a closely related polymer to polyethylene, Teflon.

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previous chapter Rubber—The Material of Possibilities
next chapter Aluminum—The Material of Flight
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Metadata
Title
Polyethylene—The Material of Chance
Author
M. Grant Norton
Copyright Year
2021
Book
Ten Materials That Shaped Our World

Print ISBN: 978-3-030-75212-5

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-75213-2

Copyright Year: 2021

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75213-2_9

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