Structures and general properties of polymers

This course is an initial introduction to polymer materials. Initially, a presentation of these particular organic materials is given through a few concrete examples. The fundamentals, in terms of nomenclature, molar masses and their distribution, linkage and cohesion are then described. After these general aspects, a detailed study of their structure, starting from the smallest scale (configurational and conformational structures) to the largest (amorphous and crystalline morphologies), passing through an intermediate scale (statistical or regular structures of polymer chains), is presented. The aim of this approach is to understand the impact of the regularity (or otherwise) of local-scale linkages on the macroscopic properties of these polymeric materials, in terms of their solid-state structure, thermal and mechanical properties, and properties in solution. In particular, the influence of molecular and macromolecular parameters on the characteristic temperatures, thermal stability and mechanical response of polymers will be studied in detail. Finally, physico-chemical methods for analyzing phase transitions and general mechanical properties of polymers are presented.

Basic knowledge of organic chemistry and physical chemistry, any prerequisites acquired in remedial courses

Sébastien Lecommandoux (9CM + 6TD) and Christophe Schatz (3CM + 1TD)
1- Generalities and interest in polymers
2- Chain structure (tacticity, isomerism)
3- Polymer chain structures (statistical and regular conformations of synthetic and natural polymers)
4- Chain assembly
5- Polymer morphology
6- Structure analysis methods
7- General information and presentation of phase transition phenomena (amorphous and semi-crystalline)
8- Effect of structure and prediction of phase transitions

Glass transition: effect of mass, cohesion, rigidity, geometric factors, tacticity, degree of crystallinity, pressure, copolymerization, plasticization, mixtures
Melting and crystallinity

9- Methods for analyzing transitions
10-Macromolecular solutions

General concepts of solubility, concentration regimes
Thermodynamics of macromolecular solutions
Viscosity of macromolecular solutions

Molecular and Polymer Chemistry

Collection, Initiation à la Chimie et la Physico-chimie Macromoléculaire, Vol. 3 and Vol. 8, Edition GFP,
Chimie et Physico-Chimie des Polymères, , M. Fontanille and Y. Gnanou, Ed. Dunod 2002.