Recent Trends in Polymer Chemistry

Abstract

MACROMOLECULAR substances are equally interesting and important from the scientific and from the practical angle. Their behavior in solution and bulk can in most cases be explained by the existence of a network of entangled long flexible chain molecules, which attract each other by intermolecular forces and exhibit a certain tendency to form areas of higher geometrical order. The ultimate mechanical thermal, and electrical properties of such polymeric materials depend in a gather complicated manner on the various qualities of the individual macromolecules and it will be the purpose of this lecture to describe briefly our present knowledge of the connections between molecular structure and macroscopic properties of high polymers. The materials under consideration cover a wide range of mechanical behavior, some of them are soft and rubbery, others are soft and plastic, others again are very hard and rigid, and others finally are rough and flexible. From the practical point of view ...