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An Introduction
Definition
• Polymer literally means “many parts.”
• A polymeric solid material may be considered
to be one that contains many chemically
bonded parts or units which themselves are
bonded together to form a solid.
• Polymers comprise a large class of natural and
synthetic materials with variety of properties
and purposes.
Natural polymers are found in many forms
such as horns of animals, tortoise shell, shellac
(from the lac beetle), rosin (from pine trees),
and tar from distillation of organic material.
Types of Polymers
Two industrially important polymeric materials are
rubbers and plastics.
As engineering materials, it is appropriate to divide
them into the following three categories:
1. Elastomers
2. Thermoplastic Polymers
3. Thermosetting Polymers
Where (1) are rubbers and (2) and (3) are plastics
Elastomers
• Limitations
• Low strength relative to metal and ceramics
• Low modulus of elasticity
• Service temperatures are limited to only few hundred degrees
• Viscoelastic properties, which can be distinct limitation in load bearing
applications
• Some polymers degrade when subjected to sunlight and other forms of
radiation
• The technology to mass produce polymers was not
developed until World War II, when there was a need
to develop synthetic rubber for tires and other
wartime applications and nylon for parachutes.
• Today, polymers are commonly used in thousands of
products as plastics, elastomers, coatings, adhesives,
as well as structural components for products
ranging from children’s toys to aircraft.
• They make up 80% of the organic chemical industry,
since most of them are based on carbon, with
products produced at approximately 150 kg of
polymers per person annually in US.
Glass Transition Temperature
POLYMER CHEMISTRY
3.1.1 Polymers & Macromolecules
3.1.2 Polymer Synthesis
3.1.3 Physical Polymer Chemistry
POLYMER PHYSICS
POLYMER SCIENCE
• Most polymer research may be categorized as
polymer science, a sub-discipline of materials science
which includes researchers in chemistry (especially
organic chemistry), physics, and engineering.
Polymer science may be roughly divided into two
subdisciplines:
Melting point
The term melting point when applied to
polymers suggests not a solid liquid phase
transition but a transition from a CRYSTALLINE
OR SEMI-CRYSTALLINE PHASE to a SOLID
AMORPHOUS PHASE.
It is also known as crystalline melting
temperature.
Ex. Among synthetic polymers, crystalline
melting is only discussed with regards to
thermoplastics, as thermosetting polymers
will decompose at high temperature rather
than melt.
Boiling Point
The boiling point of a polymer substance
is never defined due to the fact that
polymers will decompose before reaching
theoretical boiling temperatures.
The Three Primary Methods of
Polymer Synthesis
Polymers are synthesized by three primary
methods:
a. organic synthesis in a laboratory or factory,
b. biological synthesis in living cells and
organisms, or,
c. chemical modification of naturally occurring
polymers.
a. Organic synthesis