Elastomers

05/19/17

“How can we have flexible polymers?”
Polymers are widely utilized in a swath of industries for their malleable properties. But is it possible to make such things flexible? Well, let’s use our scientific mindset to find out. Polymer molecules are often arranged in a disordered manner due to the second law of thermodynamics. However, when pulled upon, some of these materials can actually become more ordered and will revert to their original shape once the force is removed, giving them an elastic property. These materials are known as elastomers,and are commonly used for flexible materials such as rubber. Elastomers are usually thermosets, have a low young’s modulus, and a higher failure strain.