Part I

Polymer Fundamentals

This part covers the fundamental building blocks, basic structures, and nomenclature for polymers. To start, we need to know a little about the molecular organization of polymers, how they are named, and some of the important techniques to characterize polymeric materials. Part I also covers some of the unique thermal, solution, and optical properties of polymers.

Some of the key points to learn from this part of the book are the following:

Polymers are huge––molecular weights of 1,000,000 are not uncommon.

Building polymers requires reactive organic functional groups.

Polymers twist and turn, leave space open like a sponge, but can also crystallize.

Determining a polymer's molecular weight is complicated, but important.

Polymer structure and organization determines whether the material can crystallize.

Why some polymers are transparent but others are opaque.

Besides melting points, polymers have another important thermal transition: the glass transition temperature.

In a good solvent, a polymer can dissolve, but even at low concentrations, the solution quickly becomes viscous.