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Related Concept Videos

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

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Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
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Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

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Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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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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Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the...
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Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers01:08

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

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Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched polymers.
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...
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Polymers02:34

Polymers

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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...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
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Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures

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Multiphase Coexistences in Rod-Polymer Mixtures.

Vincent F D Peters1, Álvaro González García2, Henricus H Wensink3

  • 1Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry & Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|September 23, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Adding polymers to colloidal rod dispersions creates complex phase behaviors, including novel multi-phase and isostructural coexistences. This reveals new possibilities for material design in rod-polymer mixtures.

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Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
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Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
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Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Materials Science
  • Thermodynamics

Background:

  • Understanding phase behavior in colloidal dispersions is crucial for designing advanced materials.
  • Rod-like colloids exhibit complex phase diagrams, including liquid crystalline phases.
  • The influence of polymers on these phase behaviors is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To predict the phase behavior of athermal rod-polymer mixtures using free volume theory.
  • To investigate novel multiphase and isostructural coexistences in these systems.
  • To provide a quantitative map of phase behavior for well-defined colloidal rod-polymer mixtures.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized recently derived analytical equations of state for hard rod dispersions.
  • Modeled rods as hard spherocylinders and polymers as penetrable hard spheres.
  • Employed free volume theory to predict phase diagrams.

Main Results:

  • All phase states stable in pure rod dispersions can coexist with added polymers.
  • Observed novel two-, three-, and four-phase coexistences, including isostructural ones.
  • Confirmed an early qualitative hypothesis regarding isostructural coexistences.

Conclusions:

  • Rod-polymer mixtures exhibit significantly richer phase behavior than pure rod dispersions.
  • The study provides a quantitative understanding of multiphase and isostructural coexistences.
  • Findings offer insights into controlling phase behavior by tuning concentrations and size ratios.