Polymer Structure 12/7/2022

HANOI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
MSE 1012
INTRODUCTION TO MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
NGUYEN VAN DUC
Duc.nguyenvan@hust.edu.vn
Dep. of Materials, Heat & Surface Treatment
Text books:
1) William D. Callister, Jr; Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering;
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; New York; 2001.
2) R. E. Smallman; Modern Physical Metallurgy and Materials Engineering;
Butterworth-Heinemann; Sixth Edition; 1999.
3) Robert W. CAHN and Peter HAASEN; Physical Metallurgy; Elsevier Science
B.V. ; Fourth edition; Volume 1 & 2; 1996. 1 2
Polymer Structures
Learning Objectives
✓ Describe a typical polymer molecule in terms of its chain
structure.
✓ Calculate number-average and weight-average molecular
weights and degree of polymerization for a specified
polymer.
✓ Cite the differences in behavior and molecular structure for
thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers.
✓ Briefly describe the crystalline state in polymeric materials.
✓ Briefly describe/diagram the spherulitic structure for a
semicrystalline polymer.

1 2

3 4

3 4

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5 6

5 6

7 8

7 8

2
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9 10

9 10

the end-to-end distance of the polymer chain r

this distance is much

smaller than the total
chain length.

11 12

11 12

3
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Thermoplastics soften when heated (and

eventually liquefy) and harden when cooled—
Low density
processes that are totally reversible and may be
High density repeated. Most linear polymers and those having
some branched structures with flexible chains are
thermoplastic (PE; PVC; PS)

Thermosetting polymers are network

polymers.They become permanently hard during
their formation and do not soften upon heating.
Most of the crosslinked and network polymers
13 are thermosetting. 14

13 14

c-the density of a specimen

a-the density of the totally amorphous
s-the density of the perfectly crys.polymer.
15 16

15 16

4
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Crystal-lamellar

17 18

17 18