Introduction to Polymeric Structure and Properties

Abstract

Polymers are large molecules of a long sequence of units. The basic units are the “monomers,” which are joined together by chemical bonds in the course of the chemical reaction constituting the synthesis (polymerization). The monomer itself can be anything from a simple molecule, consisting of a few atoms, to a large and complex molecule. Its nature will define the chemical identity of the polymer. In the simplest case it is one single kind of unit repeating itself in the final chain — it can also be a multiplicity of units forming more complicated repeat sequences or no repeating sequence at all (see later). The essential feature of the monomer is that it must be multifunctional, i.e., it must contain more than one potentially reactive chemical group, potential “hooks” so to speak, by which the monomer units can be joined up.