{"id":14972,"date":"2017-10-26T09:05:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-26T07:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/?p=14972"},"modified":"2025-10-31T14:59:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:59:53","slug":"chemical-resistance-of-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/","title":{"rendered":"Chemical Resistance of Plastics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Classification_and_Properties_of_Plastics\" title=\"Classification and Properties of Plastics\">Classification and Properties of Plastics<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Thermosets\" title=\"Thermosets\">Thermosets<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Elastomers\" title=\"Elastomers\">Elastomers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Thermoplastics\" title=\"Thermoplastics\">Thermoplastics<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#What_Is_Meant_by_%E2%80%9CChemical_Resistance%E2%80%9D\" title=\"What Is Meant by \u201cChemical Resistance\u201d?\">What Is Meant by \u201cChemical Resistance\u201d?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Inertness_of_Plastics\" title=\"Inertness of Plastics\">Inertness of Plastics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Test_Methods_and_Standards_Framework_for_Assessing_the_Chemical_Resistance_of_Plastics\" title=\"Test Methods and Standards Framework for Assessing the Chemical Resistance of Plastics\">Test Methods and Standards Framework for Assessing the Chemical Resistance of Plastics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Where_Is_Chemical_Resistance_Particularly_Important\" title=\"Where Is Chemical Resistance Particularly Important?\">Where Is Chemical Resistance Particularly Important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#Popular_Materials_and_Elastomers\" title=\"Popular Materials and Elastomers\">Popular Materials and Elastomers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"313\" data-end=\"737\"><strong>Plastics have become indispensable in modern everyday life. As versatile materials, their properties can be tailored to meet a wide range of requirements. The discovery of the structure and architecture of plastics \u2014 and thus their rise as universal materials \u2014 goes back to the chemist Hermann Staudinger (1881\u20131965). In 1953, he was awarded the Nobel Prize \u201cfor his discoveries in the field of macromolecular chemistry.\u201d The term for the synthetic materials we now know as <em data-start=\"796\" data-end=\"806\">plastics<\/em> has a rich historical background. In the early 20th century, the German chemist Ernst Richard Escales (1863\u20131924) founded a specialised journal titled <em data-start=\"958\" data-end=\"970\">Kunststoff<\/em>, which helped establish the scientific understanding of these groundbreaking materials. First published in 1911, the journal remains an important technical publication in the field of materials science.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Classification_and_Properties_of_Plastics\"><\/span>Classification and Properties of Plastics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Mechanical\u2013thermal behaviour is used to classify plastics into thermosets, elastomers, and thermoplastics.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thermosets\"><\/span>Thermosets<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/fasteners\/insulating-spacers-and-insulators\/30572\/medium-voltage-insulator-made-of-epoxy-resin\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-357 size-full\" title=\"Medium Voltage Insulator made of Epoxy Resin\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mittelspannungs-Isolator-aus-Epoxidharz.jpg\" alt=\"Medium Voltage Insulator made of Epoxy Resin\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mittelspannungs-Isolator-aus-Epoxidharz.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Mittelspannungs-Isolator-aus-Epoxidharz-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The tightly meshed, three-dimensional network of macromolecules gives thermosets their hardness and brittleness and makes them resistant to high temperatures.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As with all other plastics, chemical resistance depends on composition. Epoxy resins are well-known, widely used thermosets noted for their robustness. Bakelite, in turn, is the trade name for one of the first thermosets, produced on the basis of phenolic resins.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Elastomers\"><\/span>Elastomers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Elastomers consist of macromolecules crosslinked with a wide mesh. They deform under tensile or compressive load and return to their original shape once the external force is removed. Natural rubber is a well-known representative of the elastomer group and is used primarily in the production of car tyres. It is also used to manufacture <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\">chemical hoses<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/semi-finished-products\/round-cords\">round cords<\/a> that serve as the basis for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/seals-and-gaskets\">seals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/nr-tubing\/28573\/nr-chemical-tubing-shore-37\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-368 size-full\" title=\"NR Chemical Tubing - Shore 37\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NR-Chemieschlauch-Shore-37.jpg\" alt=\"NR Chemical Tubing - Shore 37\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NR-Chemieschlauch-Shore-37.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NR-Chemieschlauch-Shore-37-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/closure-elements\/plugs\/plugs-made-of-elastomers\/30004\/stopper-made-of-nr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-369 size-full\" title=\"Stopper made of NR\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-NR.jpg\" alt=\"Stopper made of NR\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-NR.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-NR-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before natural rubber can be used technically, it must be pre-treated. Vulcanisation increases the sulphur content in the material, thereby improving, among other things, chemical resistance to diluted acids, alkalis, and mineral oils.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/epdm-tubing\/28503\/epdm-spray-painting-tubing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-372 size-full\" title=\"EPDM Spray Painting Tubing\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-Farbspritzschlauch.jpg\" alt=\"EPDM Spray Painting Tubing\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-Farbspritzschlauch.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-Farbspritzschlauch-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/nbr-tubing\/28561\/nbr-spray-painting-tubing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-373 size-full\" title=\"NBR Spray Painting Tubing\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NBR-Farbspritzschlauch.jpg\" alt=\"NBR Spray Painting Tubing\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NBR-Farbspritzschlauch.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/NBR-Farbspritzschlauch-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber), NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber), and CR (chloroprene rubber) are examples of synthetic rubbers. In part, they exhibit greater chemical inertness to acids and alkalis than natural rubber and are therefore preferred for transporting more aggressive media.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Thermoplastics\"><\/span>Thermoplastics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thermoplastics consist largely of unbranched, linear macromolecules that can be plastically deformed when heat is applied and retain their shape upon cooling. The process is reversible, and the material can be reshaped when reheated. The best-known thermoplastics include polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polystyrene (PS).<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/tubes-jars-and-boxes\/29744\/specimen-jar-made-of-ps-with-screw-closure\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-375 size-full\" title=\"Specimen Jar made of PS - with screw closure\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Praeparatedose-aus-PS-mit-Schraubverschluss.jpg\" alt=\"Specimen Jar made of PS - with screw closure\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Praeparatedose-aus-PS-mit-Schraubverschluss.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Praeparatedose-aus-PS-mit-Schraubverschluss-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/pvc-tubing-tygon-tubing\/28658\/pvc-colour-pressure-tubing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-376 size-full\" title=\"PVC Colour Pressure Tubing\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/PVC-Color-Druckschlauch.jpg\" alt=\"PVC Colour Pressure Tubing\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/PVC-Color-Druckschlauch.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/PVC-Color-Druckschlauch-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Meant_by_%E2%80%9CChemical_Resistance%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>What Is Meant by \u201cChemical Resistance\u201d?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A material\u2019s resistance or durability can in principle relate to various properties, such as mechanical, thermal, or weather resistance. Chemical resistance refers to the ability of a material to withstand exposure to different chemicals. In practice, people often distinguish between \u201cchemically resistant,\u201d \u201cconditionally chemically resistant,\u201d and \u201cchemically non-resistant.\u201d A material is chemically resistant if it remains unharmed during prolonged contact with a chemical \u2014 that is, its physical, chemical, and mechanical properties remain unchanged.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The term chemically inert is often used as a synonym.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A material is chemically non-resistant if, upon contact with a chemical, it loses its typical properties after a very short period, whereas it is conditionally chemically resistant if it retains its properties over a defined time interval. This can also mean that the resistance is sufficient for the intended use. A material\u2019s resistance is temperature-dependent, which must be considered in application.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Inertness_of_Plastics\"><\/span>Inertness of Plastics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chemicals to which a plastic is not resistant cause the material to swell or soften. Whether the chemicals involved are aggressive media such as acids, alkalis, or organic solvents; aggressive gases such as chlorine; or comparatively \u201cmild\u201d substances such as mineral oils \u2014 the mechanism is always the same: molecules of the acting chemical diffuse into the plastic and loosen the weak interactions between polymer chains.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_319\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-319\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-319 size-full\" title=\"Liquid chemicals\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fluessige-Chemikalien.jpg\" alt=\"Liquid chemicals\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fluessige-Chemikalien.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Fluessige-Chemikalien-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-319\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 benschonewille \/ Fotolia.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In some cases, this leads to the formation of microcracks in the material, which grow under higher mechanical loads and eventually result in macroscopic cracks. This phenomenon is known as stress cracking. Because diffusion is temperature-dependent, the chemical resistance of plastics decreases as temperature rises.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Test_Methods_and_Standards_Framework_for_Assessing_the_Chemical_Resistance_of_Plastics\"><\/span>Test Methods and Standards Framework for Assessing the Chemical Resistance of Plastics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Various methods are available to measure the durability and chemical resistance of plastics. EN ISO 175:2010 describes, for example, \u201ctest methods for determining the behaviour of test specimens in liquid chemicals.\u201d In this method, the test specimen is placed in the liquid chemical and the changes to the plastic are then measured. EN ISO 22088-6:2009 sets out additional procedures for determining so-called environment-induced stress cracking. Here, the plastic specimen is subjected to an external stress or pressure and the changes are measured. The ESC test (environmental stress cracking) and the constant-load tensile test are two common methods.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Finally, the procedures described in ISO 2812-1 and ISO 2812-2 provide two further options used in chemistry and industry to assess the resistance of plastics.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In these tests, the surface condition of the plastic is evaluated microscopically after either immersion in the chemical or application of the chemical onto the surface. After a defined period, the microscopic evaluation is carried out to assess whether, and to what extent, detachment, discolouration, or swelling has occurred. In practice, these tests help users \u2014 and especially manufacturers \u2014 to assess the properties of plastics very precisely and select a suitable material for a given application.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_Is_Chemical_Resistance_Particularly_Important\"><\/span>Where Is Chemical Resistance Particularly Important?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The suitability of a plastic always depends on the specific application. For many uses, chemical resistance plays a key role. For example, when transporting chemicals through hose lines \u2014 especially aggressive media \u2014 only elastomers with appropriate chemical resistance can be used. The same applies in other industrial sectors where it is crucial that the elastomers used for seals exhibit sufficient chemical durability.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_361\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-361\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-361 size-full\" title=\"Chemist with test tube and liquid\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Chemikerin-mit-Reagenzglas-und-Fluessigkeit.jpg\" alt=\"Chemist with test tube and liquid\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Chemikerin-mit-Reagenzglas-und-Fluessigkeit.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Chemikerin-mit-Reagenzglas-und-Fluessigkeit-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-361\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 Hanna \/ Fotolia.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thus, in the petroleum-processing industry they must be resistant to mineral oils, whereas in the pharmaceutical or chemical industries they need to be inert primarily to acids or organic solvents.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Popular_Materials_and_Elastomers\"><\/span>Popular Materials and Elastomers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Among the plastics based on fluorinated hydrocarbons is FPM\/FKM (fluoroelastomer), also known under the trade names Viton\u00ae, Iso-Versinic\u00ae, or THOMAFLUOR. It is inert to solvents, oils, and hydrocarbons. It is used for hoses as well as in the form of round cords, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/seals-and-gaskets\/o-rings\">O-rings<\/a> for seals, and as stoppers.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/semi-finished-products\/round-cords\/round-cords-made-of-foam-rubbers\/30317\/high-chem-foam-rubber-round-cord-made-of-fpm\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-363 size-full\" title=\"High-Chem Foam Rubber Round Cord made of FPM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Moosgummi-Rundschnur-aus-FPM.jpg\" alt=\"High-Chem Foam Rubber Round Cord made of FPM\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Moosgummi-Rundschnur-aus-FPM.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Moosgummi-Rundschnur-aus-FPM-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/closure-elements\/plugs\/plugs-made-of-elastomers\/30011\/high-chem-stopper-made-of-fpm\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-364 size-full\" title=\"High-Chem Stopper made of FPM\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-FPM.jpg\" alt=\"High-Chem Stopper made of FPM\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-FPM.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Stopfen-aus-FPM-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The best-known plastic in this group is PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Also known as TEFLON\u00ae, this material is unmatched in terms of resistance to chemicals and solvents. It is therefore used wherever particularly aggressive media are involved. Other well-known materials are synthetic rubbers such as EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber) or NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber). These are sometimes used in combination \u2014 for example, EPDM with PP (polypropylene) \u2014 for chemical hoses.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/epdmpp-tubing\/28513\/epdm\/pp-pump-tubing-with-2-stoppers\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-379 size-full\" title=\"EPDM\/PP Pump Tubing with 2 Stoppers\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Mikro-Pumpenschlauch-mit-2-Stopper.jpg\" alt=\"EPDM\/PP Pump Tubing with 2 Stoppers\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Mikro-Pumpenschlauch-mit-2-Stopper.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Mikro-Pumpenschlauch-mit-2-Stopper-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/tubes-hoses\/tubing-made-of-elastomers-soft-rubber\/epdmpp-tubing\/28516\/epdm\/pp-pump-and-chemical-tubing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-380 size-full\" title=\"EPDM\/PP Pump and Chemical Tubing\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Pumpen-und-Chemieschlauch-1.jpg\" alt=\"EPDM\/PP Pump and Chemical Tubing\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Pumpen-und-Chemieschlauch-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EPDM-PP-Hochleistungs-Pumpen-und-Chemieschlauch-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To select the appropriate material for a given application, one should always consult <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/RctBestaendigkeitsliste\">chemical resistance lists<\/a>. Most suppliers of plastics and materials provide these, making selection easier for the user.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plastics have become indispensable in modern everyday life. As versatile materials, their properties can be tailored to meet a wide range of requirements. The discovery of the structure and architecture of plastics \u2014 and thus their rise as universal materials \u2014 goes back to the chemist Hermann Staudinger (1881\u20131965). In 1953, he was awarded the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":14989,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3028,2748,3029],"tags":[3448,3450,3451,2756,3447,3452,3449],"class_list":["post-14972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-all-articles","category-alle-beitraege-en","category-materials-in-chemistry","category-werkstoffe-in-der-chemie-en","tag-chemical-resistance","tag-elastomers","tag-inertness","tag-plastic","tag-resistance-of-plastics","tag-thermoplastics","tag-thermosets"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties &amp; Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties &amp; Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-26T07:05:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-31T13:59:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/\",\"name\":\"Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-26T07:05:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-31T13:59:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/de5369aedc25d1f064871d823629e056\"},\"description\":\"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties & Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg\",\"width\":660,\"height\":330,\"caption\":\"\u00a9 CrazyCloud - stock.adobe.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Chemical Resistance of Plastics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/\",\"name\":\"Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/de5369aedc25d1f064871d823629e056\",\"name\":\"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/KH_Heise.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/KH_Heise.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise\"},\"description\":\"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise studierte an der Martin-Luther Universit\u00e4t Halle-Wittenberg Chemie und der vormaligen Technischen Hochschule Dresden Radiochemie und Chemische Kerntechnik. Danach war er bis zur politischen Wende 1989 als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Zentralinstitut f\u00fcr Kernforschung Rossendorf (ZfK) der Akademie der Wissenschaften in verschiedenen Bereichen der Isotopenproduktion und Markierungschemie t\u00e4tig. 1990 wurde er im neu gegr\u00fcndeten Leibnitz-Forschungszentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, dem heutigen Helmholtz-Zentrum, mit der Leitung der Abteilung f\u00fcr Organische Tracerchemie des Instituts f\u00fcr Radiochemie betraut, die sich mit umweltchemischen Prozessen in den Hinterlassenschaften des Uranbergbaus der DDR befasste. Dr. Heise ist begeisterter Hobby-Numismatiker und besch\u00e4ftigt sich dabei vornehmlich mit der h\u00f6fischen Medaillenkunst des 19. Jahrhunderts in Sachsen.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/author\/k-heise\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine","description":"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties & Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine","og_description":"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties & Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/","og_site_name":"Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine","article_published_time":"2017-10-26T07:05:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-31T13:59:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":660,"height":330,"url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/","name":"Chemical Resistance of Plastics - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg","datePublished":"2017-10-26T07:05:26+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-31T13:59:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/de5369aedc25d1f064871d823629e056"},"description":"RCT Magazine on Chemical Resistance of Plastics \u2013 Properties & Applications of Thermosets \u2714 Elastomers \u2714 Thermoplastics \u2714","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Plastic.jpg","width":660,"height":330,"caption":"\u00a9 CrazyCloud - stock.adobe.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/chemical-resistance-of-plastics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Chemical Resistance of Plastics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/","name":"Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/de5369aedc25d1f064871d823629e056","name":"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/KH_Heise.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/KH_Heise.jpg","caption":"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise"},"description":"Dr. Karl-Heinz Heise studierte an der Martin-Luther Universit\u00e4t Halle-Wittenberg Chemie und der vormaligen Technischen Hochschule Dresden Radiochemie und Chemische Kerntechnik. Danach war er bis zur politischen Wende 1989 als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Zentralinstitut f\u00fcr Kernforschung Rossendorf (ZfK) der Akademie der Wissenschaften in verschiedenen Bereichen der Isotopenproduktion und Markierungschemie t\u00e4tig. 1990 wurde er im neu gegr\u00fcndeten Leibnitz-Forschungszentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, dem heutigen Helmholtz-Zentrum, mit der Leitung der Abteilung f\u00fcr Organische Tracerchemie des Instituts f\u00fcr Radiochemie betraut, die sich mit umweltchemischen Prozessen in den Hinterlassenschaften des Uranbergbaus der DDR befasste. Dr. Heise ist begeisterter Hobby-Numismatiker und besch\u00e4ftigt sich dabei vornehmlich mit der h\u00f6fischen Medaillenkunst des 19. Jahrhunderts in Sachsen.","url":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/author\/k-heise\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14972"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14995,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14972\/revisions\/14995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}