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Polymers

Polymers

The word polymer is derived from the Greek words “poly” which means “many” and “mer” which means “parts”. Polymers are long chains of molecules composed of repeating units of smaller molecules, known as monomers. They either occur naturally, such as DNA and proteins, or can be constructed synthetically, like plastics. They have varied structural characteristics, such as linear chains, branched chains, or complex networks, that contribute to the...

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications

Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications

Published on: February 7, 2021

Functional Polymer Solutions and Gels-Physics and Novel Applications.

Bing Du¹, Florian J Stadler¹

¹College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, Nanshan District Key Lab for Biopolymers and Safety Evaluation, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518055, China.

|March 22, 2020

Summary

Recent advancements have greatly improved our understanding of functional soft matter. This progress enables novel applications in diverse scientific fields.

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Area of Science:

Soft matter physics and materials science.
Interdisciplinary research spanning chemistry, biology, and engineering.

Background:

Functional soft matter exhibits dynamic responses to external stimuli.
Understanding these responses is crucial for developing advanced materials.

Discussion:

Exploring the relationship between structure, dynamics, and function in soft materials.
Investigating stimuli-responsive behaviors for tailored material properties.

Key Insights:

Significant progress in characterizing and predicting the behavior of functional soft matter.
New insights into self-assembly, actuation, and adaptive properties.

Outlook:

Potential for innovative applications in areas like drug delivery, robotics, and sensors.
Future research directions focus on complex systems and autonomous soft materials.