poly(methyl methacrylate)

Also known as PMMA, Acrylglas, Plexiglas, Altuglass, polymethyl methacrylate, acrylic, acrylic glass, plexiglass

transparent thermoplastic, commonly called acrylic

Chemical data

Formula: C5H9O2
Molecular weight: 101.12 g/mol
SMILES: C[C](C)C(=O)OC
InChIKey: PMAMJWJDBDSDHV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: 1.2
Polar surface area: 26.3 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 2
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

18,377 papers

via PubMed

~28 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Lichtenberg figure: high-voltage dielectric breakdown in an acrylic polymer block

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic and acrylic glass and by the trade names and brands Crylux, Walcast, Wanjiale, Hesalite, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, PerClax, and Perspex, among several others (see below). This plastic is often used in sheet form as a lightweight or shatter-resistant alternative to glass. It can also be used as a casting resin, in inks and coatings, and for many other purposes.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “poly(methyl methacrylate)” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.