plastikai

Plastikai is a term used in some languages to refer to plastics, a broad family of polymer-based materials, most of which are synthetic or semi-synthetic. Plastics are characterized by their moldability, durability, and versatility, enabling applications from packaging and textiles to electronics and automotive components.

Chemically, plastics are polymers—long chains of repeating monomer units—produced by polymerization or polycondensation. They often include additives such as stabilizers, plasticizers, fillers, colorants, and flame retardants to modify performance. Plastics are commonly classified as thermoplastics, which soften when heated and can be reshaped, and thermosetting plastics, which cure irreversibly.

Common thermoplastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and the polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate. Thermosets include epoxies, phenolics, and certain polyurethanes. Processing methods include extrusion, injection molding, blow molding, calendering, and casting.

History: The emergence of synthetic plastics began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with Bakelite as the first widely used plastic, followed by the expansion of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and other polymers in the mid-20th century, leading to mass production and widespread use.

Environmental and policy context: Plastics pose environmental challenges due to persistence, fragmentation into microplastics, and waste management complexities. Recycling practices—mechanical and chemical recycling—aim to recover material streams, while design for recyclability and policies restricting single-use plastics seek to reduce waste and advance a circular economy. Bioplastics and renewable-feedstock variants are areas of ongoing development.