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Comparative Analysis of Natural and Synthetic Polymers
Summary
This review compares the structures, industrial applications, and environmental impacts of natural polymers such as cellulose, proteins, and natural rubber with synthetic polymers including polyethylene, nylon, and polyester. The authors found that while natural polymers offer biodegradability and biocompatibility advantages, synthetic polymers dominate industry due to lower cost, greater durability, and structural versatility, underscoring the need for sustainable polymer strategies.
Herein, we compare natural and synthetic polymers in terms of their structures, as well as their usage in industries and potential influences in the environment. Natural polymer-based materials, including cellulose, proteins, and the natural rubber, present several advantages such as biodegradability, renewability, biocompatibility, which make them potential candidates for sustainable applications in fields of textiles, food processing, drugs, and biomedicine. Nonetheless, these present issues like, variability, low 'scalability' and lower mechanical strength and pose limitations in their industrial application. In contrast, man-made polymers like polyethylene, nylon, and polyester are cheap, resistant, and structurally diverse, allowing them to be widely used in packaging, construction, electronics, or consumer goods.
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