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Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

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.
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Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...

Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution

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For any given polymer, the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is higher than, if not equal to, the number average molecular weight (Mn). The only situation in which the weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are equal is when a polymer consists only of chains with equal molecular weight. However, this never happens in a synthetic polymer, since it is difficult to control the polymerization process up to a molecular level with accuracy to a hundred percent.

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.
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The extent of the...

Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity

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Polymerization generates chiral centers along the entire backbone of a polymer chain. Accordingly, the stereochemistry of the substituent group has a significant effect on polymer properties. Polymers formed from monosubstituted alkene monomers feature chiral carbons at every alternate position in the polymer backbone. Relative to the predominant orientation of substituents at the adjacent chiral carbons, the polymer can exist in three different configurations: isotactic, syndiotactic, and...

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...

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The Role of Structure in Polymer Rheology: Review.

Valery G Kulichikhin¹, Alexander Ya Malkin¹

¹Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, 29 Leninsky Prospect, 119991 Moscow, Russia.

|March 26, 2022

Summary

This review explores how deforming polymer liquids changes their structure, rheology, and non-linear behavior. It details three non-linearity levels, linking macromolecular orientation and elasticity to flow phenomena.

Keywords:

instability macromolecule melts non-linearity polymer solution structure thixotropy viscoelasticity viscoplasticity yielding

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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Area of Science:

Polymer Science
Rheology
Materials Science

Background:

Polymer liquids exhibit complex behaviors under deformation.
Understanding structure-property relationships is crucial for predicting non-linear effects.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current understanding of deformation-induced structure transformations in polymer liquids.
To analyze the link between rheological properties and non-linear phenomena.
To discuss three distinct levels of non-linearity in polymer liquid behavior.

Main Methods:

Literature review focusing on the last five years of publications.
Analysis of structure-property relationships in polymer melts, solutions, and composites.
Discussion of experimental observations correlating structure and rheology.

Main Results:

Identified three levels of non-linearity: changes in relaxation spectra, emergence of new relaxation states, and thermodynamic non-linear behavior.
Highlighted macromolecular orientation and intermolecular interactions as key structural causes.
Emphasized the role of elasticity in the fluid dynamics of polymer liquids.

Conclusions:

Deformation significantly impacts polymer liquid structure, leading to varied non-linear rheological responses.
Elasticity and structural rearrangements (orientation, phase changes) are central to understanding these non-linear effects.
Recent research confirms strong correlations between structure and rheology, advancing the study of thixotropy, yielding, and phase transitions.