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What Is A Polymer?
Polymer (Greek: poly & meros): “many” & “parts”
Applications of polymers:
• Leading today’s materials world; replacing metals, glass, wools
in numerous applications;
• Extensive commodity applications in every aspect and industry
with everal hundred pounds of polymers produced each year for
each person in US;
• Speciality high-performance applications: bullet-proof armors,
fire-retardant vests, artificial hip joints, ultra-strong fibers.
• Play a central role in many emerging technologies: plastics
electronics, gene therapy, drug delivery, biomaterials, optical
data storage, fuel cells, etc.
Food course
Cheese -- protein
Napkins -- cellulose
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Clothings (fibre)
Spandex---polyurethane Polyester
Shoes
Sporting Stuffs
Cover - Surlyn
Frame -- carbon fiber (thermoplastic elastomer)
Strings-- nylon.
Auto parts
Polyethylene Nylon
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Nylon.
(stain resistant treated with
polytetrafluoroethylene)
Padding -- polyurethane
Formica
(Melamine-formaldehyde resin)
Polymer properties
Advantages:
1. Corrosion and chemical resistance
2. Good thermal and electrical insulating properties
3. May be made isotropic or anisotropic
4. Good strength/ mass ratio
5. Light weight
6. Ease of processing
7. Available in a variety of forms
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Disadvantages:
1. Dimensional instability
2. Limited useful thermal range
3. Fragility (may break, crack, or scratch easily)
4. Flammability
5. Absorb moisture
6. Non-degradability
7. Subject to attack by chemicals (deteriorate)
8. Odors or chemical fumes in processing
9. Difficulty or repair (thermosets)
10. Cost (vary by family)
• Appearance
Thermoplastic: powder, granular, pellet
Thermosetting: powder, preform, resin
Thermoplastic: extruded, injection-
formed, calendered, blow-molded,
vacuum-molded;
Themosetting: compression-molded,
transfer molded, cast, laminated.
• Effect of heat
• Effect of solvent
Polymer Acetone Benzene Furfuryl Toluene
alcohol
ABS l p l s
Acrylic s s p s
Cellulose s p s p
acetate
Cellulose s p s p
acetate
butyrate
Fluorocarbon l l l l
Polyamide l l l l
PC l l l l
PE l l l l
PP l l l l
PS s s p s
Vinyl acetate s s l s
Vinyl chloride s l l P
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• Relative density
Fluoroplastics 2.12-2.2 Casein 1.35
Epoxies 1.11-1.8 Chlorinated 1.4
polyester
Aminos 1.47-1.65 Silicone 1.05-1.23
Phenolic 1.26-1.55 Urethane 1.15-1.2
Polycarbonate 1.2-1.52 Polysulfone 1.24
Vinyls 1.2-1.55 Polyamide 1.09-1.14
Polyester 1.01-1.46 Phenylene oxide 1.06-1.1
Acetal 1.4-1.45 PS 0.98-1.1
Allyl 1.3-1.4 Polyolefins 0.91-0.97
Cellulosics 1.15-1.4 Ionomers 0.93-0.95
ABS 1.02-1.25 Acrylic 1.17-1.2
• Mechanical properties
Compressible strength (ASTM D- Force per unit area (KPa,
695) MPa)
To rupture or
crush material
Tensile strength (ASTM D-638) To pull until break
Modulus of elasticity (tensile Stress/ strain
modulus)
Impact strength (toughness) Energy required to break
sample
Falling mass test Container, dinnerware,
helmet, firm
Pendulum test (ASTM D256/ D618) Charpy, Izod
Flexural strength (ASTM D-790, Stress to break sample via
D747) bending
Shear strength Stress needed to produce
fracture by shearing action
Fatigue & flexing(ASTM D-430/ Number of cycles through
D813) which sample can be
deformed before fracture
Hardness(ASTM D-785, D1706, D- Resistance to penetration or
618) indentation by another
body (or to compression,
indentation, abrasion and
scratching)
Brittleness (ASTM D-746) Temperature at which 50% of
sample fall, tested with
impact apparatus
(crystallinity increase
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brittleness at low
temperature)
Friction PE, teflon, polyacetal,
polyamide have low
coefficient of friction
• Physical properties
• Thermal properties
• Optical properties
Light transmission %:
PMMA 94; PS, PC 90; cellulose acetate 87; polyvinyl
chloride acetate 83
• Electrical properties
resins
alloy: two or more different polymers are
physically mixed during melt
blend modified by addition of elastomer
additives
antioxidant PE, PP needed most
(stabilizer)
antiozonant
UV olefins, PS, PVC, ABS, polyester,
polyurethane, PMMA
antistatic on surface, absorb moisture, e.g.
amine, quaternary ammonium
compound, organic phosphate,
polyethylene glycol ester
colorant dye, organic pigment, inorganic
pigment, special-effect pigment
dye (coal-tar chemical): color
material by forming chemical
linkage with molecule;
pigment: mix with material
luminescence fluorescence – emit only when
electrons are being excited, made
from sulfides of zinc, calcium,
magnesium;
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What to learn:
polymer to macromolecule: art to science;
a scientist’s determination to pursue the truth;
possible difficulties a scientist may face; basic
skill in scientific reasoning;
some historical major events during the turning
point:
2. Light penetration:
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5. Molecular structure:
Linear, branched, crosslinked, star, comb, hyperbranched,
dendrimer, cycle
Homopolymer, copolymer
6. Crystal structure
Crystalline, amorphous
7. Mechanical behavior
Plastic, elastomer, fibre
8. Polymerization processes:
Bulk, solution, precipitation, suspension, emulsion, gas phase
Chloroprene (CR) emulsion
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LDPE bulk
HDPE solution, gas phase
Polyacetals solution
Polyamide (PA) bulk, suspension
Polycarbonate (PC) bulk
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bulk
Polyisoprene (IR) solution
PMMA bulk,suspension, solution
Polypropylene (PP) solution, gas phase
Polystyrene (PS) emulsion, suspension,
bulk, solution
Polysulfides suspension
Polytetrafluoroethylene suspension
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) emulsion, suspension
Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) emulsion
SBR emulsion
Addition polymers
(1) The repeat unit in the polymer and the monomer has
the same composition, although the bonding is different
in each.
(2) The polymerization mechanism is in the kinetic
category of chain reaction, with either radical or ionic
groups responsible for propagating the chain reaction.
(3) The product molecules often have an all-carbon chain
backbone, with pendant substituent group.
Condensation polymers
(1) The polymer repeat unit arises from reacting two
different functional groups usually on different
monomers. The repeat unit is different from either
monomer. In addition, small molecules are often
eliminated during the condensation reaction.
(2) The polymerization reactions occur in steps.
(3) The product molecules have the functional groups
formed by the condensation reactions interspersed
regularly along polymer backbone.
−C−C−Y−C−C−Y−
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1.4.2 Copolymers
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These definitions are based on the repeat unit, not the monomer.
Sequence determination.
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Repeat units:
• Structural elements covalently bonded together to form a
polymer.
• One or two types in most polymers.
• They are the parts of monomers
• molecular weight of repeat unit designated as M0
In addition polymers:
• the molecular weight of monomer and repeat unit is identical
In condensation polymers:
• small molecules are eliminated in the condensation reaction
• molecular weight of the monomer and the repeat unit are
different.
• for polyesters from diol and diacid
M M
N= =
M 0 M A + M B − 2M H 2O
i ∑n i i ∑n i i
M w = ∑ wi M i =
∑ in M
i i i
=
∑nM
i i i
= Mo
∑i n
i i
i ∑ in i i ∑nM i i i ∑ in i i
∑i ni
2
i
PDI = Mw/Mn
Example 1.5
z z +1 M iz −1 zM i
xi = P ( M i ) = z
exp(− )
Γ( z + 1) M n Mn
z z +1 M iz zM i
wi = z +1
exp(− )
Γ( z + 1) M n Mn
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M w z +1
=
Mn z
Positional isomerism
Stero Isomerism
Geometrical isomerism
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