What is a simple polymer chain?

What is a simple polymer chain?

Think of a polymer as a chain, with each of its links a monomer. Those monomers can be simple — just an atom or two or three — or they might be complicated ring-shaped structures containing a dozen or more atoms. In an artificial polymer, each of the chain’s links will often be identical to its neighbors.

What is the difference between the two types of polymer?

There are two types of polymers: synthetic and natural. Synthetic polymers are derived from petroleum oil, and made by scientists and engineers. Examples of synthetic polymers include nylon, polyethylene, polyester, Teflon, and epoxy. Natural polymers occur in nature and can be extracted.

What is the difference between linear polymers and branched chain polymers?

The key difference between linear and branched polymers is that linear polymers have a linear structure without any branches whereas branched polymers have a branched structure. Polymers are giant molecules having a very large number of repeating units attached to each other via covalent chemical bonds.

How do you find the chain length of a polymer?

To get the chain contour length, divide MW of the polymer by the MW of the monomer unit and multiply by the length of the monomer unit.

How does chain length affect polymer properties?

Changing the length of the polymer is often utilized to change the melting point of the polymer. When the polymer chains are longer, they become more tangled, which means that they stick together better. So, it becomes harder to break the bonds between the chains, which increases the melting point.

What is a polymer simple definition?

A polymer is any of a class of natural or synthetic substances composed of very large molecules, called macromolecules, which are multiples of simpler chemical units called monomers. Polymers make up many of the materials in living organisms and are the basis of many minerals and man-made materials.

What are branched chain polymers?

Branched polymers are defined as having secondary polymer chains linked to a primary backbone, resulting in a variety of polymer architectures such as star, H-shaped, pom-pom, and comb-shaped polymers.

What is chain length?

The chain is a unit of length equal to 66 feet (22 yards). There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. In metric terms, it is 20.1168 m long.

How are long chains held together in linear polymers?

Linear polymers resemble ‘spaghetti’ with long chains. The long chains are typically held together by the weaker van der Waals or hydrogen bonding. Since these bonding types are relatively easy to break with heat, linear polymers are typically thermoplastic.

How are branched polymers different from linear polymers?

Branched polymers resemble linear polymers with the addition of shorter chains hanging from the spaghetti backbone. Since these shorter chains can interfere with efficient packing of the polymers, branched polymers tend to be less dense than similar linear polymers.

What are the different types of polymer chains?

The substituent is another polymer chain composed of covalently bonded monomer units. These side chains can be either short chains or long chains. A graft polymer is a branched polymer having side chains composed of different monomers to that of the main chain.

How does heat change the structure of a polymer?

Heat breaks the bonds between the long chains allowing the chains to flow past each other, allowing the material to be remolded. Upon cooling the bonds between the long chains reform, i.e., the polymer hardens. Branched polymers resemble linear polymers with the addition of shorter chains hanging from the spaghetti backbone.