CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 541

INTRODUCTION TO POLYMER SCIENCE AND PROPERTIES

ASSIGNMENT #1

1.

Show the structural formulae of the following polymers and classify them according to:
Architecture

: linear, branched, network

Processing

: thermoplastic, thermosetting

Method of formation

: addition, condensation

(a) Polystyrene
(b) Polyethylene
(c) Polyethylene Terephthalate
(d) Nylon 6
(e) Polycarbonate
(f) Polybutadiene

2.

A polymer sample contains an equal number of moles of species with degrees of

polymerization r = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
What is the number-average (rN) and weight-average (rW) degree of polymerization?

3.

Three samples of polymer are mixed without reaction. Calculate M

n and M
w for the
mixture:
Sample
________

M
n

M
w

Weight in mixture (gr)

________

________

_____________________

1.2 x 105

4.5 x 105

200

5.6 x 105

8.9 x 105

200

10.0 x 105

10.0 x 105

100

4.

The crystalline density of polyethylene is 1,000 kg/m3 and the density of amorphous
polyethylene is 865 kg/m3. Calculate the degree of crystallinity in a sample of linear
PE of density 970 kg/m3 and in a sample of branched PE of density 917 kg/m3.
Why do the two samples have considerably different crystallinities?

5.

Calculate values of the polystyrene-solvent interaction constants, 1, for the samples

discussed in Figure 1.

6.

The following data on intrinsic viscosities and elution volumes from a gel permeation
chromatograph at 250C for standard polystyrene samples dissolved in tetrahydrofuran
(THF) have been reported:

M
w x 10-3

867

411

206.7

125.0

29.8

31.4

173

98.2

51

19.85

10.3

5.0

67.0

43.6

27.6

14.0

8.8

5.2

35.4

37.3

39.9

43.8

46.8

(g/mol)

[n]
(cm3/g)
1
3
V e (cm )
5

50.7

The Mark-Houwink constants for poly(vinyl bromide) in THF at 25oC may be taken as
K = 1.59 x 10-2 cm3/g and a = 0.64. Construct an appropriate GPC calibration curve
(i.e., log (MW) versus Ve for poly(vinyl bromide) in THF.

7.

The relative flow times (t/to ) of a PMMA polymer solution in chloroform are:

Conc. (g/dl)

t/to

0.20

1.290

0.40

1.632

0.60

2.026

(a)

Determine the intrinsic viscosity

(b)

If the Mark-Houwink parameters for this system are K = 3.4 x 10-5 and a =
0.8, determine the viscosity average molecular weight of this polymer.

8.

The following light scattering data give the quantity Kc/R for solutions of cellulose
nitrate in acetone. The wavelength is = 546 nm. Calculate M
w, A2 and
using a Zimm plot.

107
Conc.

Kc
R

(ml/g)

= 45o

= 32o

= 17o 30

0.0088

69.8

49.0

33.0

0.0064

66.0

45.0

29.1

0.0043

62.8

42.1

25.9

(g/cm3)

<r >
2
g

Figure 1