SYNTHESIS & CHARACTERIZATION OF NYLON–6,6 MICROPLASTICS IN DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS

Abstract

Known to be of different shapes, colors and sizes, microplastics are defined as “any synthetic solid particle or polymeric matrix, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary origin, which are insoluble in water”. "Nylon" is one such type of plastic whose qualities make it suitable for use in a variety of applications. It is a high performance polymer with strong thermal, electrical, and chemical resistances. In this research, Nylon-6,6 beads have been used in 3 different concentrations to generate 3 different samples of microplastics. The 3 samples thus produced are then subjected to characterization to obtain the difference in the properties of the microplastics generated out of these 3 samples. This research is carried out with the objective to find out the minimum possible and most suitable particle size of microplastic with improved properties that can be acquired from any of the 3 samples, so that they can be employed in varied applications to boost the performance of the application. It is observed that sample 2 was found to contain microplastics with finest properties among the three.