Chain Dimensions

Lipio, Mylene M.

Chain Length The backbone of every polymer organic material is a chain of carbon atoms. The key to the polymer structure is that two carbon atoms can have up to three common bonds and still bond with other atoms.

Chain Length Consider the material polyethylene, which is made from ethane gas, C2 H6 . The process can continue liking more mers and polymers together until it is stopped by the addition of another chemical (a terminator).

Chain Length The polymer chain is often shown in two dimensions, but it should be noted that they have a three dimensional structure. Each bond is at 109 to the next.

Chain Length

as chain length increases

- temperature - impact resistance -viscosity (1:103.2) -Van der Waals attractions

Chain Length Expressing of Chain Length by: Degree of polymerization - is usually defined as the number
of monomeric units in a macromolecule or polymer or oligomer molecule. For a homopolymer, there is only one type of monomeric unit and the number-average degree of polymerization is given by:

Molecular weight - is the mass of one molecule of that substance.

Morphology: Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity

In X-ray crystallography, an X-ray beam is diffracted by a crystal. The diffraction pattern can be recorded as spots where the diffracted Xrays strike a photographic plate.

Polymer Crystallinity Described as crystalline if it:

 contains three-dimensional ordering on atomic length scales  consists of both crystalline and amorphous regions

Degree of Crystallinity Appearance Approaching to zero Intermediate Transparent Opaque

Polymer Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity Arrangements of Polymers Crystalline

Amorphous

Polymer Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity Polymers also form stacks of these folded chains. There is a picture of a stack, called a lamella, right below.

Polymer Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity Amorphousness and Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity

Crystallinity makes a material strong, but it also makes it brittle. The amorphous regions give polymer toughness.

Polymer Crystallinity
Some Highly Crystalline Polymers: Polypropylene Syndiotactic polystyrene Nylon Kevlar and Nomex Polyketones Some Highly Amorphous Polymers: Poly(methyl methacrylate) Atactic polystyrene Polycarbonate Polyisoprene Polybutadiene

Polymer Crystallinity Factors affecting the Crystallinity:

1. Polymer Structure

Polymer Crystallinity Factors affecting the Crystallinity: 2. Intermolecular Forces

Polymer Crystallinity

Polymer Crystallinity Measurement of Crystallinity

Differential scanning calorimetry