Plastic

Plastic is a durable, (sometimes) recyclable polymer material formed from oil that is nearly ubiquitous in American consumer products. Plastics were discovered in the mid-1900s, and entered into wide use almost as quickly.

Classification

Plastic can be divided by mechanical-thermal behavior in Thermoplastic, Thermosetting polymer and Elastomer. Thermoplastic consists of long linear molecules that are not interlinked. They are easily deformable and sensitive to heat. Thermosetting polymer consists of strong interlinked molecules and cannot be deformed. Elastomers consist of entangled molecules and can be pulled.

List of plastics

(under construction)

• Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS
• Low density polyethylene, LDPE
• High density polyethylene, HDPE
• Polypropylene, PP
• Polystyrene, PS
• Polyvinyl chloride, PVC

See also

• Resin identification codes