Materiais poliméricos: uma abordagem histórica dos principais avanços científicos e tecnológicos

Abstract

The term Polymer comes from the Greek, by combining the prefix (Polus), which indicates several and the suffix (mero), which indicates parts. This type of material has been used by man since the beginnings of civilizations. Although the exploration of this field of study is considered recent, polymers present great potential of application. Therefore, the objective of this work was to carry out a literature review on polymeric materials. Initially, there was knowledge about natural polymers, such as latex, which was called rubber by Europeans for erasing pencil marks. Then, starting in 1840, the polymerization of synthetic polymers, produced in industries or laboratories, begins. With the advent of polymerization techniques, the characterization methods were necessary to know each polymer specifically and its use was potentiated. It is noted that the applications of this material are being exploited for several areas, but it is important that the studies with respect to the polymers continue so that the optimization of the final product can happen effectively.