Michael Sepe

Michael Sepe Independent Consultant

Biopolymers

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Polyesters

Beyond PET, PBT and their analogues, development of polyester chemistry led to unsaturated thermosetting resins, copolyester thermoplastic elastomers, liquid-crystal polymers and, most recently, biopolymers.

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: PBT

The slow crystallization of PET polyester made it a poor option for processes like injection molding. This led to the development of more molder-friendly options such as PBT.  

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: PET

How PET evolved from a material for fibers and fabrics to a force in packaging.  

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: How Nylons & Polyesters Connected

The history of nylons and polyesters are intertwined, and it takes some knowledge of chemistry to understand why.  

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: More on Polycarbonate

The industry has learned a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of polycarbonate during its more than 60-year history, and it would be difficult to imagine a world in which it did not exist.   

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Materials

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Polycarbonate

How polycarbonate came about, virtually simultaneously, through the efforts of two industry giants.

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Materials

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: PVC & PVDC

How a class of materials based on chlorine chemistry became part of the landscape.  

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Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Nylon

The story of nylon, the first true engineering thermoplastic.

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Materials

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Cellophane

How—and when—cellulose-based chemistry led to the discovery of cellophane.  

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polyolefins

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: Commodity Resins

How the ‘Big 4’ commodity materials — PE, PP, PS, PVC — came to be.  

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Materials

Tracing the History of Polymeric Materials: More on Phenolic

Creation of an invention like phenolic can be traced through a long chain of events and contributors. Here’s the full story.  

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