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In everyday life, we encounter many different types of plastics: polymeric materials that are colloquially referred to as plastic or rubber. But what exactly are plastics? Plastics are organic materials …

Epoxy Resin is a sought-after material used in industry, everyday life, and even in art. It is a synthetic resin which, when mixed with a hardener, forms a thermosetting plastic. …

Shut-off valves are used to regulate or completely block a volume flow. For this purpose, a closing element, also called a closure element or shut-off body, is moved within a …

What do car tires and chewing gum have in common? Both contain the same type of rubber: butyl rubber. The development of butyl rubber began in 1825 with the discovery …

The term “profile” has several different meanings in the English language. It can refer to the side view of a shape, a characteristic appearance, or the data of a user …

Many commercially available plastics are, by nature, hard and brittle at room temperature. Only the addition of special additives, known as plasticizers, enables their processing and use for everyday consumer …

About 100 years ago, the production of purely synthetic plastics—made exclusively from artificial components—began. In 1907, the Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863–1944) developed a process for producing and processing …

When hearing the term glass, most people first think of drinking glasses or window panes. But what kind of material is it actually? Glass is an amorphous solid that is …

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are harmful to humans and animals and degrade only very slowly in the environment. They contaminate air, soil and water and can …

The material silicone rubber offers a wide range of excellent technical properties and is therefore used in many different applications. But what can this elastomer do—the one found in clothing, …