Polymers: Molecular Structure

A polymer is a very large molecule comprising hundreds or thousands of atoms, formed by successive linking of one or two, occasionally more, types of small molecules into chain or network structures. The concept of the polymer is one of the great ideas of twentieth century chemistry. It emerged in the 1920s amid prolonged controversy and its acceptance is closely associated with the name of Hermann Staudinger who received the Nobel Prize in 1953. The influence of the polymer (or macromolecule) concept spread rapidly into many areas of the natural sciences and technology. Within the life sciences it fostered the emergence of molecular biology through the study of natural macromolecular substances such as proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides. In engineering, a series of successes in commercial polymer synthesis established a new sector of the international chemical industry, devoted to producing and applying polymeric materials, notably plastics and rubbers, coatings and adhesives. This book is concerned with the materials science and engineering properties of such synthetic polymers.