Main description (English)

The application of polymers as materials in textile, leather and footwear industry it is extremely important to know their structure and properties; the main processes of polymer synthesis. Fibres and other polymer products differ in their mechanical properties, which depend on the size, flexibility, shape, structure and conformation of macromolecules, as well as temperature. Polymers are made up of huge macromolecules, consisting of a large number of atoms connected by chemical bonds and arranged in a structure consisting of repeating basic units called monomer units. Polymers are divided into two main groups: natural (cellulose, proteins, natural rubber, etc.) and synthetic (rubbers, plastics and synthetic fibres: polyester, polyamide, polyurethane, etc.). The synthesis of each polymer goes through 2 stages: preparation of the monomer and its conversion into a polymer. For the reactions to take place, the monomer molecule must contain complex bonds, unstable rings or reactive groups. The main methods of polymer synthesis are described: polymerization: radical and ionic; polycondensation; polyaddition, ion-coordination polymerization; polymerization with ring opening.