As with many things, one isn’t necessarily better over the other. He also writes about the industry. The base monomer used to manufacture PE is ethylene, a gaseous hydrocarbon. LDPE has a much lower melting temperature with a range of 105 to 115 °C. Polyester makes up about 18% of world polymer production and is the fourth-most-produced polymer after polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The world of plastic is not a cut and dried one. PP has an uncanny ability to retain its mechanical and electrical properties, even when subjected to extreme conditions such as high temperature and humidity. Polypropylene (PP) is a polymer made from the monomer propylene. It has excellent moisture resistance and resistance to a wide range of acids and bases. This discovery soon led to the commercial production of polypropylene starting in 1957. It is an above-average insulator, making it a good component for electrical applications. Although plastics have become unpopular in the last few years (and for good reasons), there is no doubt that modern society is still very much dependent on them. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) 7. Thermoset or thermosetting plastics. Con. Bakelite is an example of a thermoset plastic. These plastics are designed to take a beating and are generally chemically resistant. It is the most widely used plastic in the world, being made into products ranging from clear food wrap and shopping bags to detergent bottles and fuel tanks. The growth of the PE industry has been driven by the highly commoditized nature of the plastic as well as the wealth of sources for the ethylene feedstock. Once cooled and hardened, these plastics retain their shapes and cannot return to their original form. The ease of working with PP makes it one of the most widely used materials for the internal and external parts of automobiles. Applications of PE as packaging typically take advantage of the superior flexibility of the material, such as squeeze bottles, shrink wrap, and caps and closures. Plastic is any synthetic or semisynthetic organic polymer. Acrylic or Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) 2. Common trade names for FRP glass fiber reinforced polypropylene include Polystrand and Twintex. Very good resistance to alcohols, dilute acids and alkalis 3. This results in the production of polypropylene as a white powder, which is then melted and reformed into pellets for distribution. Polypropylene offers many different advantages. Physical Properties. Just about everyone probably has something made of propylene in their households. This modification makes PP much more flexible and improves its optical properties. PE is a great, low-cost material for a wide range of product packaging needs. As the melt flow increases, some of the physical properties of the plastic decreases, however, such as impact strength. On the other hand, HDPE is highly opaque but has much better tensile strength, making it more suitable as containers for heavy substances such as milk or liquid detergent. Polyethylene (PE) 4. Similar to PP, PE exhibits poor resistance to UV radiation and is highly flammable. "Understanding Polypropylene Plastics." HDPE tubes have also been used to protect electrical wires and telecommunication cables. This copolymerization allows this plastic to be used as an engineering plastic that is in a number of different products and uses. The use of polypropylene in everyday applications occurs because of how versatile this plastic is. Thermoplastics are the plastics that, when heated, do not undergo chemical change in their composition and so can be molded again and again. It is flexible and tough, especially when it is copolymerized with ethylene. Since PP is food safe, it is used for the production of both reusable and disposable food containers. A higher MFR allows the polypropylene to fill the mold more easily. For instance, the superior clarity of LDPE makes it ideal for food packaging. Your email address will not be published. These plastics are different types of polyethylene and polypropylene. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-pp-plastics-820355. Get B.S., Business Management, University of Colorado Boulder, The low cost makes it budget-friendly for a wide number of uses, Has flexibility, which makes it easy to mold into different shapes, Colorfast, which means that any colors will stay bright and beautiful, Resistant to fatigue, which allows it to be used for things such as water bottle hinges and spouts, Offers good insulation for pipes, cables, and more, Chemically resistant to most oils and solvents, High-temperature resistance, which means it can be used in laboratories. Johnson, Todd. It also has a good combination of flexibility, strength, impact resistance, and fatigue resistance. Although PP exhibits good resistance against most acids and bases, it easily degrades when exposed to various hydrocarbons and oxidizing agents. When you look at polypropylene, you can see that it has many different properties that explain its widespread use. PP plastics are also used in fiber-reinforced composites. Polypropylene (PP) 5. Use baking soda or a kitchen stone for tough cleaning jobs. We pomise.). Examples include p… Your email address will not be published. The value of heat resistance also varies across HDPE and LDPE. ... and go to polypropylene, what you have is … Most industrial PE manufacturing processes use coordination polymerization, which requires the presence of metal salts, such as chlorides and oxides.