Sounds scary, doesn’t it? I remember how chemistry nomenclatures would give me nightmares. Well, fear not amigos, HDPE is nothing but plastic. Well, plastic is a bit of an understatement. It is basically polyethylene thermoplastic made out of petroleum.
If you are a sitcom maniac like me, you would remember Walter White a.k.a. Heisenberg. In one of the scenes, to get rid of a body, he instructs Jesse Pinkman to bring a polyethylene tub. Being a brilliant scientist that he was, he knew a strong and corrosive acid like Hydrofluoric acid would not corrode it. Pinkman, on the other hand, decided to use his own chemistry knowledge. As we all know, it turned out to be quite a disaster (If you haven’t watched it, don’t worry. No spoilers ahead).
So, who invented HDPE? Well, it was more of an accident which further led to its invention as we know it today.
Around 19th century, a German chemist Hans von Pechmann was working with methane and ether when he noticed the formation of a precipitate. This precipitate was identified as polymethylene (a kin to polyethylene). Later in 1935, British chemists Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson created a solid form of polyethylene while working with ethylene under high pressures.
The very first application was to insulate radar cables during the Second World War. One invention led to another and thus was born, High Density Polyethylene. The scientists Karl Ziegler and Erhard Holzkamp invented it by using different catalysts and low pressure. Ziegler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for inventing HDPE. Today, it is produced by catalytic polymerization of ethylene.
One of the main reasons of using HDPE in a variety of applications is its high density and strength. If you want to discover the dark forces behind its properties, here is your chance ! Polyethylene is a semi-crystalline structure made of both crystalline (structured) and amorphous (unstructured) sections. HDPE has a greater proportion of the crystalline structure along with fewer branching. This makes the polymer strong and dense, thus accounting for its name.
So the question is, do we actually see HDPE in our daily lives? Look around. The answer is yes.
Every. Single. Day.
Apart from the regular packaging and moulding applications it is put in use, we have chosen a few interesting ones to highlight the importance of HDPE:
1. Implants in facial reconstructive surgeries
You do remember plastic surgeries, right? Especially the dramatic ones from the ‘Ekta Kapoor’s daily soaps? It is hilarious when the production throws a character off a cliff or kills him/her in a car accident to change the person playing the character. Then, the miracle of a plastic surgery produces an entirely new person. Such is the efficiency of the plastic surgery in these drama series, even the height, vocal tone and behaviors change.
Well, that will not happen unless you have taken some serious transfiguration lessons from Professor McGonagall (1..2..3.. Fera Verto)!
Facial implants are used to restore congenital deformities or anatomical structures, post an accidental mishappening or for aesthetic purposes. Porous HDPE (known as medpor) can be used as an alternative to the previously used alloplastic materials. It has the advantages of greater flexibility at room temperature and malleability when treated with hot water. The pores allow tissue in-growth and are easily found in a variety of shapes and sizes.
2. Hovercrafts
Is it just me or the name hovercraft gives you an image of a vessel ‘hovering’ up in the sky using anti-gravity particles like a spaceship? Unfortunately, it is not so. Hovercrafts are vessels capable of trudging over land, water, mud, ice and other relatively smooth surfaces.
Using HDPE in the manufacturing of hovercrafts reduces its cost. The
resultant product is strong and is quite resistant to impacts and
buoyancy. However, the only drawback is, it is too heavy to give a good
performance.3. Corrugated Pipes
You must have definitely seen those huge metal pipes which the municipality workers keep trying to fix, whenever there is a leakage by digging a huge pit and disrupting the already helpless traffic situation. As an alternative, corrugated pipes are being used nowadays.
HDPE, being sturdy and corrosion resistant, are used in the manufacture of these pipes. They are placed underground to carry water supplies or natural gases, and also for drainage systems. They have also become a part of the filtration system in chemical industry.
4. Hula Hoops
If you love playing with these round tubes (read: if you can actually twirl them around), you would know the importance of the bounciness of the hoop.
Bounciness of the hoop is nothing but the reaction time of the hoop for responding to your body movements. HDPE is the reason behind making the hoop solid yet responsive to your moves, thus, helping you hoop away!
5. 3-D Printer Filament
A 3D printer creates three-dimensional objects by forming successive layers of material, under the control of a computer.
HDPE takes pride in the production of these 3D printer filaments. These filaments are used to create a variety of colorful objects, even transparent or fluorescent materials. The coolest part is the use of milk jugs (made from HDPE) to make these filaments. Used but useful again!
6. Geo-Membranes
To avoid leaching of contaminants to the outside environment, synthetic membranes are required to line certain surfaces. Its requirement may have to include immunity to ultraviolet, radioactive, biological, chemical, oxidative and thermal degradation. That is where a geo-membrane comes to the rescue having HDPE as a key component.
Who does not love fireworks? It is definitely a treat to the eyes besides sparking up the euphoria of the kid inside us.
There are different parts to a firework. The casing, known as the mortar, holds the explosive mixture. HDPE is used to prepare these mortars which makes them durable. It avoids humidity coming in contact with the explosive. The use of HDPE also helps in handling any shell malfunctioning thus, making it safer for operation.
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