POLYPROPYLENE

Name: Polypropylene, PP

Real name: Polypropylene

Composition: C3H6

Family: Thermoplastics

Density: 0.87

Temperature range: -30º/110ºC

Owned by: Phillips Petroleum Company, USA (originally. Not to be confused with the Dutch Phillips)

The history of polypropylene begins in the 1950s, when the development of new polymerization techniques made it possible to obtain more controlled polymers with improved properties. In 1954, Italian chemist Giulio Natta, in collaboration with Karl Ziegler, succeeded in synthesizing isotactic polypropylene using the famous Ziegler-Natta catalysts. This breakthrough was so significant that both scientists received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963.

Polypropylene's success lay in the fact that it offered a lightweight, strong, and versatile alternative to other plastics already on the market. Large-scale production began in Europe in the 1950s and quickly expanded globally, driven by companies such as Montedison and Basell. Since then, polypropylene has become one of the most important polymers in the petrochemical industry and in everyday life, enjoying continuous growth thanks to its low cost and multiple applications.

Polypropylene has several properties that explain its popularity and wide range of uses. One of its main characteristics is its low density, making it one of the lightest plastics available on the market. This lightness is combined with good mechanical resistance, especially against fatigue, allowing it to retain its shape and strength even after repeated use.

Its chemical resistance is outstanding, as it is unaffected by acids, bases, solvents, and common cleaning products, making it a very reliable material for applications involving aggressive substances. Furthermore, polypropylene offers excellent moisture resistance, remaining impermeable and maintaining its properties in humid environments or in direct contact with water.

Regarding its thermal behavior, it can withstand relatively high temperatures without deforming, with a melting point around 160°C, giving it an advantage over other plastics such as low-density polyethylene. It also stands out for being an easy-to-process material, capable of being injection molded, extruded, blow molded, and thermoformed, allowing for the production of everything from complex parts to sheets and fibers.

Polypropylene is also recyclable and offers a good cost-performance ratio, making it a key plastic within the circular economy.

Polypropylene's applications are extremely diverse, making it one of the most widely used materials in everyday life. In the packaging sector, it is used to manufacture rigid and flexible containers, lids, bottles, plastic films, sacks, and containers, thanks to its lightness, strength, and sealing properties.

In the textile industry, polypropylene is the basis for the production of nonwoven fibers used in upholstery, carpets, diapers, masks, and disposable clothing for medical use. These fibers are valued for their low weight, strength, and moisture-wicking properties.

In the automotive sector, it is an essential material for the manufacture of bumpers, interior panels, dashboards, air ducts, and lightweight structural components, contributing to vehicle weight reduction and improved energy efficiency.

In the medical sector, polypropylene is used in syringes, sterile containers, sutures, and laboratory equipment due to its chemical resistance, sterilization, and biocompatibility. It is also a material used in mass-market products such as kitchen utensils, storage containers, toys, plastic furniture, and stationery.

In construction, polypropylene is used in pipes, waterproofing sheets, insulation systems, and concrete reinforcements, providing durability and corrosion resistance. Furthermore, modified versions are increasingly being used in high-tech applications, such as precision parts, filtration systems, and renewable energy components.