ABSTRACT
Polymers can be found virtually everywhere and their potential applications are almost limitless. Polymers can be used as replacements for other materials such as wood, metal, and glass. In addition, polymers are fueling their own unique uses because many polymers have properties that cannot be harnessed from any other source. A polymer can be classied into one of three groups: thermoplastic, elastomer, or thermoset. ermoplastics are polymers that melt upon application of heat and solidify when cooled. Elastomers are rubbery polymers that are easily stretched and can recover to their original dimensions. Finally, thermosets are polymers that are irreversibly cured into a rigid material. Out of these three groups, thermoplastics have the widest range of properties that can easily be tuned for various applications. e extensive properties that can be obtained by a thermoplastic are available due to the large variety of synthetic methods available (radical, emulsion, ionic, ring opening, etc.). Not only can preexisting thermoplastics be made through various routes, but new thermoplastics are continually being developed to replace other materials, improve properties over another polymer, and perform tasks that no other material can. e days of an all-purpose polymer are getting shorter and shorter; smart thermoplastic polymers are being produced that have one specic use and are extremely good at their job. Surface-active, biocompatible, conductive (thermal, ion, electrically), and magnetic thermoplastic polymers are just a few examples of unique polymers that are being created. Because of vast properties and uses of thermoplastics, the following discussion on degradation will focus on thermoplastic polymers.
