 Polymers have been around for a long time. Some of the commonly named examples are found in cloves, things like nylon, polyesters, and acrylic. Others are plastics like PVC, polyethane, and polycarbonates, whereas some act as coatings on saucepans like PTFE, more commonly known as Teflon. The key thing is that different polymers have different properties. More recently, chemists have developed a branch of polymers called designer polymers. A designer polymer is one that has been designed to respond to a change in environment or uses properties that are better than traditional polymers. Nylon, a traditional polymer, used to make some clothes, has desirable properties. You may even wear a jacket that's made from nylon. Nylon is tough, lightweight, and waterproof. Sadly, it's missing a desirable property in that it doesn't allow sweat to pass through, so when the person is wearing a garment, they can become quite uncomfortable. If only there was a way of making the material breathable, able to allow the sweat to pass through without losing the waterproofing on the outside of the jacket. The answer is that designers have started to use Gore-Tex, a designer polymer. Gore-Tex uses layers of different polymers. They include an outer layer, typically made from nylon or polyester. This makes the outer layer strong. Inner layers are made from polyurethane, and this provides water resistance. Other membranes are made of PTFE, which has millions of holes. These holes are small enough to allow the water vapor or sweat to pass out, but does not allow larger water droplets from the outside to pass into the soft lining. Designer polymers come up in many everyday situations. Contact lenses, the traditional polymer, PMMA, did not allow oxygen to pass through and touch the eye. This is because no blood visits the cornea. This would block your vision. Therefore, all of the oxygen needed for the cells comes from the air. It was rigid and uncomfortable, and the cells were starved of oxygen. How do you think the design of this polymer was improved? Pause and continue when you're ready. The answer is the polymer used now is a special hydrogel. It's more flexible, softer, and is breathable. This improves the health of the eye. Two fillings. If you have a traditional filling, the chances are it is made of silver amalgam. This looks false as it contrasts against the two's natural colour. Designer polymers use a composite polymer resin, which is tough. Contains no dangerous chemicals like the mercury metal found in your traditional silver amalgam fillings. The designer polymer can be matched to the two's natural colour. It's a photopolymer, and when treated with light will harden and match the colour of the tooth. In summary, a designer polymer is one that has been designed to respond to a changing environment, or uses properties that are better than the traditional polymers. Some examples of designer polymers include breathable clothing made from Gore-Tex, hydrogels found in contact lenses and baby snappies, and finally two fillings.