MSE 521

Properties of Solid Polymers
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Class Schedule

1. Polymerization

8/29/02

Thursday

Introduction: Types of polymers, nomenclature, molecular weight, degree of polymerization, molecular weight distribution.

9/3/02

Tuesday

Step growth polymerization, practical examples: polyamides, polyesters, polyethers, polycarbonates.

9/5/02

Thursday

Extent of reaction, statistics of step growth polymerization. Molecular weight and distribution.

9/10/02*

Tuesday

Chain growth polymerization. Active ends: radicals, anions, cations. Kinetics of radical polymerization.

9/12/02*

Thursday

Chain transfer. Molecular weight control. Effects of temperature in free radical polymerization. Ceiling temperature

9/17/02

Tuesday

Anionic polymerization, "living" polymers, block copolymerization. Model topological polymers.

9/19/02

Thursday

 

Non-linear polymerization, gelation, statistics of network formation. Examples of network forming polymerizations. Crosslinking and the statistics of gelation by crosslinking.

2. Polymer Chain Architecture

9/24/02

Tuesday

Isomerization. Structural isomers. Stereoisomers, Fisher projections. Isotactic, syndiotactic, atactic vinyl polymers. Effects of temperature, coordination polymerization. Diene polymers: structural (cis and trans) and stereo isomers. Conformers.

9/26/02

Thursday

Rotation about sigma-bonds, Newman projections, staggered, eclipsed, gauche and trans. Freely jointed chains model. Random walk, RMS end-to-end vector, radius of gyration.

10/1/02

Tuesday

Equivalent chain, equivalent random link. Real chains, freely rotating chain, rotational isomeric state models. Excluded volume.

3. Polymer Microstructure

10/3/02*

Thursday

Structure of amorphous polymers. Small angle neutron scattering. Semicrystalline polymers. Liquid crystalline polymers.

10/8/02 [Prelim]

Tuesday

Crystallinity: Methods of measuring. Waxs, DSC, density, IR. Effects of chain architecture on crystallinity, Tm. Polymer crystal structures and chain packing.

10/10/02

Thursday

Crystal morphology: extended chain, fringed micelle and folded chain lamellar crystals. Fold surface and tie molecule controversies. Single crystals, spherulites, "shish-kebabs", row structures.

Fall Break

10/17/02

Thursday

Thermodynamics of melting. Kinetics of crystallization, Avrami-Johnson-Mehl equation. Kinetic theory of chain folding.

4. Glass transitions

10/22/02

Tuesday

Phenomenology. V, H, S, Cp vs. T. Rate effects, physical aging. G, ho. Free volume theory of Tg. Kauzmann paradox, configurational entropy (Gibbs-DiMarzio) theory of Tg.

10/24/02

Thursday

Effect of molecular variables on Tg. Chain stiffness, flexible side chains, diluents, molecular weight, crosslinking.

5. Viscoelasticity

10/29/02

Tuesday

Linear viscoelasticity. Spring and dashpot models: Voigt and Maxwell models. Standard linear solid. Spectrum of relaxation times. Effects of stress and strain history.

10/31/02

Thursday

Boltzmann superposition principle. Dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. Complex moduli and compliances, tan d. Time-temperature superposition.

11/5/02

 

Tuesday

 

Shift factor aT. WLF eq'n. Relaxation in crystalline polymers. Sub-Tg relaxations. Origins in molecular motions. Super-Tg relaxations: Disentanglement, Rouse model, reptation, tube models. Diffusion of polymer chains. Evidence for reptation, constraint release. Effects of molecular weight, topology.

6. Polymer Thermodynamics

11/7/02

Thursday

Quasilattice model: comparison of entropy of mixing of polymer chains with that of small molecules. Flory parameter, c. Polymer blends, phase diagrams, UCST, LCST, block copolymers.

11/12/02 [Prelim]

Tuesday

Polymer-small molecule solutions. Virial expansion, theta temperature, colligative properties, osmotic pressure.

7. Measurement of molecular weight and polydispersity

 

 

11/14/02

Thursday

Weight average molecular weight, light scattering, Zimm plot. Number average molecular weight.

11/19/02

Tuesday

End group analysis, osmometry. Gel permeation chromatography. Dilute solution viscometry.

8. Rubber elasticity

11/21/02

Thursday

Entropy of a stretched chain. Gaussian statistics. Entropy and free energy of a deformed network.

11/26/02

Tuesday

Effects of entanglements, dangling ends, loops, reinforcing particles (carbon black). Strain induced crystallization.

Thanksgiving

9. Plastic deformation and molecular orientation

12/3/02

Tuesday

Plastic instabilities, necking and cold drawing. Yielding behavior. Effects of entanglements and crosslinks.

12/5/02

Thursday

Cold drawing of crystalline polymers. High modulus fibers by drawing, extrusion, gel drawing, structure of ultraoriented fibers. Crazing and fracture of glassy polymers. Molecular network effects on crazing.