Synthetic Macromolecules

Words: 343
Pages: 2

The world is composed of polymers which aid human beings in everyday life. It surrounds the public with a range of applications in the form of food – such as the starch in potatoes, fabrics – such as cotton and nylon, plastics – such as cling wrap (Polyvinyl Chloride [PVC]) and Styrofoam (polystyrene), even within the human body – such as ribonucleic acid (RNA). Specifically, polymers are macromolecules which contain smaller repeating units (monomers) bonded together. Synthetic polymers were developed from natural polymers with further advancements still being continued and researched today. Tim Lodge, a polymer scientist and journal Macromolecules editor, says “The general trend—still continuing—is the expansion of polymers into applications