Chapter Contents

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Polymer materials
• Origins: Early History of Synthetic Polymers
• Definitions
CHAPTER 2: Microstructure and Molecular Weight
• Polymer Chain Microstructures
• Molecular Weight – Definitions
CHAPTER 3: Polymer Synthesis
• Background and Classification
• Step-Growth Polymerizations
• Non-catalyzed Chain or Addition Polymerizations
• Catalytic Chain Polymerizations
• Monomer Type and Polymerization Method
• Polymerization Processes
CHAPTER 4: Polymerization Kinetics
• Chemical Kinetics
• Reactivity of Chain Molecules
• Kinetics of Step-Growth Polymerizations
• Kinetics of Chain Polymerizations
CHAPTER 5: Probability and Statistics of Polymerization
• Introduction to Probabilities
• Statistics of Linear polycondensation
• Statistics of Chain Polymerizations
• Branching and Gelation
CHAPTER 6: Copolymerization
• Introduction
• Kinetics of Chain Growth Copolymerization
• Copolymer Sequence Distributions
CHAPTER 7: Spectroscopy and Chain Microstructure
• Introduction
• Molecular Spectroscopy of Polymers
• Characterization of Microstructure
CHAPTER 8: Structure and Morphology
• Introduction
• Conformations
• Order and Morphology
CHAPTER 9: Natural Polymers
• Introduction and Background
• Microstructure of Polypeptides and Proteins
• Conformations and Structure of Polypeptides and Fibrous Proteins
• Polysaccharides
• Poly(Nucleic Acids)
CHAPTER 10: Polymer Matrix Composites
• Introduction
• Classification
• Reinforcing Materials – Particles
• Reinforcing Materials – Fibers
• Polymer Matrix Materials
• The Interface and Interphase
• Structural Composites
• Examples of Polymer Composites

CHAPTER 11: Thermal Transitions
• Introduction
• Thermal Transitions in Polymers
• Crystallization
• The Crystalline Melting Temperature
• The Glass Transition Temperature
CHAPTER 12: Polymer Solutions and Blends
• Introduction — The Free Energy of Mixing
• Entropy of Mixing
• Enthalpy of Mixing
• The Free Energy of Mixing (revisited) and Phase Behavior
• Dilute Polymer Solutions
CHAPTER 13: Solution Properties, Molecular Weight and Branching
• Introduction
• Osmotic Pressure
• Light Scattering
• Viscosity
• Size-Exclusion Chromatography
• Long Chain Branching
CHAPTER 14: Mechanical and Rheological Properties.: I. Elastic Properties, Plastic Deformation and Failure.
• Introduction
• Mechanical Properties: Some basic Definitions
• Strength, Stiffness and Toughness of Polymer Materials
• Fracture and Failure in Non-Elastomeric Polymers
• Rubber Elasticity
• Mechanical Properties of Polymer Matrix Composites
CHAPTER 15: Mechanical and Rheological Properties.: II. Polymer Melt Rheology and Viscoelasticity
• Polymer Melt Rheology
• Viscoelasticity
CHAPTER 15: Processing
• Introduction
• Extrusion
• Basic Injection Molding
• Injection Molding Variations
• Blow Molding
• Compression Molding
• Thermoforming
• Rotational Molding

APPENDIX: Brief Review of Thermodynamics
• Introduction
• What is Thermodynamics?
• Some Basic Definitions
• The Laws of Thermodynamics
• The Free Energy of Mixing
• Enter the Molecules — Some (very little) Statistical Mechanics
• More Free Energy of Mixing