플라스틱이란?

플라스틱은 인공 합성물로 만들어진 다양한 종류의 고분자(polymer) 소재를 일컫습니다. 플라스틱은 석유, 천연 가스, 석탄 등의 원료로부터 생성되는 모노머라는 작은 분자들이 화학 반응을 통해 연결되어 길고 큰 사슬 형태의 고분자를 생성함으로써 만들어집니다.

플라스틱의 주요 특성은 가볍고, 강하며, 내구성이 뛰어나고, 저렴하게 대량 생산이 가능하다는 것입니다. 또한 플라스틱은 가열하거나 냉각함으로써 다양한 형태로 가공할 수 있어 다양한 용도로 사용되고 있습니다.

플라스틱은 여러 가지 유형으로 분류될 수 있으며, 일반적으로 열가소성(plastic) 플라스틱과 열경화성(thermosetting) 플라스틱이라는 두 가지 주요 범주로 나뉩니다. 열가소성 플라스틱은 가열하면 부드러워져서 다시 가공이 가능한 반면, 열경화성 플라스틱은 한 번 경화되면 다시 가열하여 가공할 수 없습니다.

플라스틱은 포장재, 전자 제품, 자동차 부품, 건축 자재, 의료 용품 등 다양한 산업과 생활용품에 사용됩니다. 그러나 플라스틱은 환경 문제로 인해 큰 우려를 불러일으키고 있는데, 일부 플라스틱은 분해되지 않아 지구상에서 오랜 기간 존재하며 환경과 생태계에 영향을 미칩니다. 따라서 플라스틱 사용에 대한 제한과 친환경 소재의 개발이 중요한 이슈가 되고 있습니다.

 

Plastics refers to a wide variety of man-made polymeric materials. Plastics are made by linking small molecules called monomers, which are produced from raw materials such as oil, natural gas, and coal, through chemical reactions to create polymers in the form of long, large chains.

The main characteristics of plastics are that they are lightweight, strong, durable, and can be mass-produced inexpensively. Plastics can also be processed into different shapes by heating or cooling, making them versatile.

Plastics can be classified into several different types, which generally fall into two main categories: thermoplastic and thermosetting. Thermoplastics can be softened and reworked when heated, while thermosetting plastics cannot be reheated and reworked once hardened.

Plastics are used in a wide variety of industries and household products, including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, building materials, medical supplies, and more. However, plastics are causing great concern due to environmental issues; some plastics do not decompose and exist on Earth for a long time, affecting the environment and ecosystems. Therefore, limiting the use of plastics and developing eco-friendly materials are becoming important issues.