Polyolefins

Abstract

The petroleum refining industry produces small fractions of volatile olefins in addition to transportation fuels such as gasoline. In aggregate, these olefins represent very large quantities because of the huge scale of the primary refining industry. The availability of these olefins has given rise to a worldwide polyolefin industry which makes most of the common rubbers and plastics in use today. These olefins are converted to high polymers by the process of polymerization. The polymers span an unexpected range of thermal and mechanical properties. The introduction and the acceptance of these polymers arise from continuous innovation which improves the properties for use. The introduction of new fabrication processes allow the utilization of novel methods to produce forms with typical densities at or below 1:00 gm=cc, leading to lightweight materials.