POLYMER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING I: FORMATION AND PROPERTIES

POLYMER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING I: FORMATION AND PROPERTIES

CHEM/CHE/ME/MSE/TFE 4775

Course coordinators: Dr. A. S. Abhiraman (ChE)

Prerequisites:

1 year organic chemistry, I year physics and 1 semester physical chemistry or consent of instructor

Proposed Catalog Description:

An introduction to the chemistry, structure and formation of polymers, physical states and transitions, physical and mechanical properties of polymer fluids and solids.

Course Justification:

The learning objectives for the course are as follows:

1. Learn essential concepts of formation, physical chemistry, structure and properties of polymers

2. Provide a foundation for industrial practice in polymer science and engineering

3. Provide a foundation for graduate courses and research in polymer science and engineering

Students shall learn an integrated approach to polymer formation, structure and properties. The course materials have been taught highly successfully at Georgia Tech at least twice a year for 18+ years. Extensive resources have been developed at Georgia Tech to aid in problem solving and integration of all aspects of prerequisite materials in the teaching of Polymer Science. These include numerous solved problems and Web-based material. The latter permits conveying of not only static information (text, equations, graphs and figures) but also dynamic information and intuition-building and analytical skills (through problem solving).

Text: at the level of Fundamental Principles of Polymeric Materials, S.L. Rosen

Topical Outline

1. General Introduction

Polymers; bonding in polymers; conformation and configurations of polymers; branches and networks in polymers; transitions in polymers; molecular weight distributions and averages; solid state structure; plasticization.

2. Polymer Formation

Polymerization: kinetics of step growth; Polymerization: kinetics of chain growth; Free radical and ionic polymerizations; Stereoregular polymerization; Ring-opening polymerization; Copolymerization

3. Polymerization Processes

Bulk, Solution, Suspension, Emulsion Polymerization

4. Flow

Dilute solutions and intrinsic viscosity; effect of concentration, molecular weight, temperature and pressure on viscosity; models of non-Newtonian viscosity; measurement of viscosity; elasticity in polymer fluids

5. Mechanical Properties

Thermodynamics of deformation and rubber elasticity

Mechanical Properties (phenomenological): creep; stress relaxation; viscoelastic behavior and models; dynamic mechanical properties; time and temperature effects

Structure - property relations

6. Ultimate Properties; General Properties