What is polymer?

POLYMER MOLECULES
For carbon chain polymers, the backbone of each chain is a string of carbon atoms. Many times each carbon atom singly bonds to two adjacent carbons atoms on either side, represented schematically in two dimensions as follows:

POLYMER MOLECULES
If the ethylene gas is reacted under appropriate conditions, it will transform to polyethylene, which is a solid polymeric material

POLYMER MOLECULES
These long molecules are composed of structural entities called repeat units, which are successively repeated along the chain

MOLECULAR WEIGHT
During the polymerization process not all polymer chains will grow to the same length; this results in a distribution of chain lengths or molecular weights

MOLECULAR WEIGHT
A weight-average molecular weight is based on the weight fraction of molecules within the various size ranges

MOLECULAR WEIGHT
Thus, the same polymer material can have quite different properties if it is produced with a different molecular weight

Linear
Branched

Crosslinked Network

MOLECULAR CONFIGURATION

Head to tail configuration

Head to head configuration

MOLECULAR CONFIGURATION

Stereoisomerism
isotactic configuration

syndiotactic configuration

atactic configuration

MOLECULAR CONFIGURATION
cis (structure) trans (structure)

THERMOPLASTIC &THERMOSETTING POLYMERS

THERMOPLASTIC

Polyethylene Polystyrene poly(ethylene terephthalate) poly(vinyl chloride)

vulcanized rubbers Epoxies phenolics polyester resins

THERMOSETTING

COPOLYMERS
Random Copolymer
Alternating Copolymer

Block Copolymer

Graft Copolymer

POLYMER CRYSTALLINITY
Arrangement of molecular chains in a unit cell for polyethylene