Introduction

Abstract

Abstract Much of human history has been influenced by the availability of materials. In fact, history is divided into eras named after the primary materials used; the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. Similarly, we can assert that in the twentieth century we entered the Polymer Age. Humans have used naturally occurring polymers, called biopolymers, for centuries without realizing that they were dealing with macro-molecules. A prime example is caoutchouc, or natural rubber, that comes from Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber-tree plant. Natural rubber was used for many centuries before it was identified as polymeric.