Can you define “polymer?”

You all know what polymers are, more or less, and some of you know way more, but what if you were asked to help someone, who doesn’t know, understand it? 

I’ve edited this from britannica.com: “Any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules, that are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms and a range of man-made materials.”

That is so broad that, if you’re looking for a simple definition, it’s not all that helpful. But therein lies the success of polymer science in creating new materials that can outperform previous (and historically typical) textiles. Wool and cotton have been around for millennia; polymer materials made their way into the realm of textiles maybe 150 years ago. 

But even that is not easy to pin down.

The range in polymer materials, source materials and processes also make it hard to set a date for the “discovery” of modern polymer-based materials. Like most innovations, it’s not a one-and-done breakthrough; it’s several improvements that happen incrementally over time, with each one contributing something new. 

For some of us old enough to remember, the prefix “poly” in any discussion about textile technology conjurs up the one iconic “poly” image of our generation: the polyester pants suit, or better yet, the “leisure suit,” which was widely popular, but didn’t last anywhere near as long as the polyester fabric from which these suits were made. That fabric was just about indestructible. And when they said “wrinkle free,” they weren’t kidding. You couldn’t wrinkle that stuff if you crumpled it wet, crammed it in a suitcase and left it there for days. 

The polyester used today in quite literally most of our clothing is far more likely to behave like a beloved natural fabric, so it doesn’t feel “engineered.” Today’s garment polyesters can be very soft and comfortable, but with added functionalities, such as breathability, wicking, and machine wash-and-dryable. 

But we’ve moved way beyond the polyester fashions of the 1960s. Today’s polymer fiber technology is so sophisticated that new materials are engineered to take on the most challenging circumstances in very high-stakes industries. These can include biomedical, aerospace, protective, thermal control and filtration systems. 

This doesn’t get us much closer to a definition, though, so I’m going to send you to our new feature, “Polymer science and textile problem solving” by Mike Zimmerman, the founder and CEO of Z- Polymers. He’s not going to give you a definition, per se, but his discussion helps to understand what polymers can do and their impact on textile science now and very likely as the future in this part of the industry continues to unfold. 

Janet Preus is senior editor of Textile Technology Source. She can be reached at janet.preus@textiles.org.