Polymer

Appearance of real linear polymer chains as recorded using an atomic force microscope on surface under liquid medium. Chaincontour length for this polymer is ~204 nm; thickness is ~0.4 nm.[1]

A polymer is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds. Although the term polymer is sometimes taken to refer to plastics, it actually encompasses a large class of compounds comprising both natural and synthetic materials with a wide variety of properties. Because of the extraordinary range of properties of polymeric materials,[2] they play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life.[3] This role ranges from familiar synthetic plastics and elastomers to natural biopolymers such as nucleic acids and proteins that are essential for life. Natural polymeric materials such as shellac, amber, and natural rubber have been used for centuries. A variety of other natural polymers exist, such ascellulose, which is the main constituent of wood and paper. The list of synthetic polymers includes synthetic rubber, Bakelite, neoprene, nylon, PVC,polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, PVB, sili cone, and many more. Most commonly, the continuously linked backbone of a polymer used for the preparation of plastics consists mainly of carbon atoms. A simple example is polyethylene ('polythene' in British English), whose repeating unit is based on ethylene monomer. However, other structures do exist; for example, elements such as silicon form familiar materials such as silicones, examples being Silly Putty and waterproof plumbing sealant. Oxygen is also commonly present in polymer backbones, such as those of polyethylene glycol, polysaccharides (in glycosidic bonds), and DNA (inphosphodiester bonds). Polymers are studied in the fields of polymer chemistry, polymer physics, and polymer science.

Monomers and repeat units

The identity of the monomer residues (repeat units) comprising a polymer is its first and most important attribute. Polymer nomenclature is generally based upon the type of monomer residues comprising the polymer. Polymers that contain only a single type of repeat unit are known as homopolymers, while polymers containing a mixture of repeat units are known ascopolymers. Poly(styrene), for example, is composed only of styrene monomer residues, and is therefore classified as a homopolymer. Ethylene-vinyl acetate, on the other hand, contains more than one variety of repeat unit and is thus a copolymer. Some biological polymers are composed of a variety of different but structurally related monomer residues; for example, polynucleotides such as DNA are composed of a variety of nucleotide subunits. A polymer molecule containing ionizable subunits is known as a polyelectrolyte or ionomer.

Polymers and Macromoleules

The term polymers and macrmolecules are often used without any distinction. But strictly speaking a polymer always consists o hundreds to thousands of repeating structural units but a macromolecule may or may not contain repeating structural units. For example, proteins and nucleic acids should be regarded as macromolecules but not polymers since their molecules do not contain repeating structural units. In contrast, polythene may be regarded both as a macromolecule as well as a polymer since it contains a large number of repeating structural units. Thus, all polymers are macromolecules but all macromolecules are not polymers. Although proteins and nucleic acids are macromolecules they are called polymers. This is due to the reason that proteins are made up of a large number of -amino acids which if not structurally are chemically similar. Similarly, nucleic acids (polynucleotides) are made up of a large number of nucleotides which are also chemically similar.

Homopolymer and Copolymer

A homopolymer is derived from single monomeric species. Homopolymerization refers to methods used to chemically synthesize a homopolymer. A heteropolymer or copolymer is a polymer derived from two (or more) monomeric species, as opposed to a homopolymer where only one monomer is used. Copolymerization refers to methods used to chemically synthesize a copolymer. Commercially relevant copolymers include ABS plastic, SBR, Nitrile rubber, styrene-acrylonitrile, styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) and ethylene-vinyl acetate

Polymer synthesis
Main article: Polymerization

The repeating unit of the polymer polypropylene

Polymerization is the process of combining many small molecules known as monomers into a covalently bonded chain. During the polymerization process, some chemical groups may be lost from each monomer. This is the case, for example, in the polymerization of PET polyester. The monomers are terephthalic acid (HOOC-C6H4-COOH) and ethylene glycol (HO-CH2-CH2-OH) but the repeating unit is -OC-C6H4-COO-CH2-CH2-O-, which corresponds to the combination of the two monomers with the loss of two water molecules. The distinct piece of each monomer that is incorporated into the polymer is known as a repeat unit or monomer residue.

Types of Polymerization
Addition or Chain Growth Polymerization Preparation of Some Addition Polymers Condensation Polymerization or Step Growth Polymerization

Polymer properties
Polymer properties are broadly divided into several classes based on the scale at which the property is defined as well as upon its physical basis.[7]The most basic property of a polymer is the identity of its constituent monomers. A second set of properties, known as microstructure, essentially describe the arrangement of these monomers within the polymer at the scale of a single chain. These basic structural properties play a major role in determining bulk physical properties of the polymer, which describe how the polymer behaves as a continuous macroscopic material. Chemical properties, at the nano-scale, describe how the chains interact through various physical forces. At the macro-scale, they describe how the bulk polymer interacts with other chemicals and solvents.

Classification of Polymers
Polymers are classified in a number of ways: Classification by Source Natural Polymer Synthetic Polymer Semi-synthetic Polymer Classification by Molecular Structure Linear Polymer Branched Polymer 3-Dimension or Net-work Polymer Classification by Inter-molecular Forces Elastomers Fibres Thermoplastic Polymer Thermosetting Polymer Classification by Synthesis Addition Polymer Condensation Polymer