As you know, polymers are long chain organic molecules made by repeating monomy units. There are a number of natural polymers in life, such as rubber, and even in our own body, we have natural polymers such as proteins, carbohydrates and DNA to name just a few. We will focus the rest of this tutorial on synthetic polymers. The common name for synthetic polymer made polymers is plastics which are used very frequently in our day-to-day lives, from simple packaging to complex structural building materials. However, the increased use of plastics in our homes leads to nearly one quarter of all the solid waste being plastic. Some of this can be recycled to minimise the effects on our environment, but a long-term goal for many chemists is to develop more biodegradable plastics which would naturally break down in our environment. Here are some specific examples of polymers and their common uses. Polyethene used for carrier bags and sheet plastics. Identity polyethene used for drain pipes water bottles and containers. Polystyrene used in packaging. Polypropene used for bottle caps, plastic bottles and plastic pipes. Polychloroethene often known as PVC and is used for windows and door frames, plastic hinges and bottles. Poly1122 tetrafluoroethene also known as PTFE which is a non-stick coating on frying pans as well as being used in bearings on other low-friction surfaces. Kevlar is a unique polymer in that it form bulletproof fests and jackets. Nylon is used in textiles, clothing and carpets. As you can see, polymers play a huge role in our day-to-day lives and their use is wide and varied owing to their unique individual properties. It is important to understand that most of the alkene monomers used to make polymers are obtained in some part from crude oil and therefore it is critical that we recycle plastics to conserve our natural resources for the future manufacture of these polymers. There are also big problems associated with the disposal of polymers. The biggest problem, as mentioned above, is that polymers are non-biodegradable which means that microorganisms cannot naturally break them down. Disposal of polymers by burning or incineration is a possibility as this generates heat which can be used to generate electricity. However, the burning of polymers produces many toxic gases which themselves can damage the environment and cause pollution. Now, at the end of this lesson, you should have an appreciation of the importance of polymers. Be able to name some key polymers along with their uses and also describe the problems associated with polymers.