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Related Concept Videos

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.
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Intrinsically disordered proteins are a group of proteins that do not fold into specific three-dimensional structures. Their structural flexibility allows them to complement ordered proteins to perform functions that are inaccessible to rigid structures. They are more common in eukaryotes than prokaryotes and may either be exclusively intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins, consisting of a mix of ordered and disordered regions. The absence of a rigid structure in these proteins can be...
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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.
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Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

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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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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.
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Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
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Segmental dynamics and local motions in disordered random copolymers.

Stavros X Drakopoulos1, Sundol Kim1, Richard A Register1,2

  • 1Princeton Materials Institute, Princeton University, Princeton 08540, New Jersey, United States.

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This study explores how bulky monomers affect polymer relaxation. We found that monomer composition significantly influences glass transition temperature and segmental dynamics, revealing a double-percolation mechanism in copolymers.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Physics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Understanding polymer dynamics, especially segmental motion and glass transition, is crucial but challenging.
  • Amorphous polymers exhibit complex relaxation behaviors influenced by molecular structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the impact of monomer bulkiness on glass transition temperature (Tg), fragility (m), and segmental dynamics in methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 4-tert-butylstyrene (TBS) copolymers.
  • Elucidate the relationship between alpha (α) and beta (β) relaxation mechanisms in random copolymers.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized random copolymers of MMA and TBS with varying compositions.
  • Utilized calorimetry to determine glass transition temperatures (Tg).
  • Analyzed segmental dynamics and relaxation mechanisms, including β-relaxation, as a function of copolymer composition.

Main Results:

  • Observed significant deviations from the Fox equation for Tg, indicating structure-independent behavior and a 'super-Fox' increase at low MMA content.
  • Correlated Tg deviations to tacticity and frustrated chain packing, supported by changes in fragility (m).
  • Demonstrated that β-relaxation is composition-dependent, shifting towards side-group reorientation with increasing TBS content and showing decoupling of α- and β- relaxations via a double-percolation mechanism.

Conclusions:

  • Monomer bulkiness and composition profoundly influence polymer relaxation behavior, deviating from simple predictive models.
  • The interplay between α- and β- relaxations in copolymers can be explained by a double-percolation mechanism.
  • Findings provide insights for optimizing polymer material properties through controlled copolymer composition.