Syllabus
Structure of polymers
1. Structure of polymers: linear / branched / networks; flexible / rigid; biopolymers; primary and higher structure; morphology; surface of polymers Thermomechanical properties
2. Melting and crystallization of polymers; semicrystalline polymers; the influence of crystallization kinetics; physical aging
3. Glass transition in polymers; free volume, thermal expansion, diffusion in polymers
4. Thermo-mechanical properties of different types of polymers
5. Mechanisms of elasticity in polymers; Rubber elasticity and its theoretical description
6. Tensile properties of different types of polymers; creep behavior; tensile strength
7. Fracture of brittle and tough materials, impact toughness Behavior of Liquid Polymers, Rheology
8. Solubility and swelling of polymers, polymer miscibility, phase separation
9. Basic aspects of rheology
10. Types of non-Newtonian fluids, thixotropy, rheopexy
11. Influence of molecular and of process parameters on polymer melt flow
12. Rheology of forming polymer networks and their gelation Viscoelastic behavior of both liquid and solid substances
13. Models of viscoelasticity, linear elasticity vs. response to dynamic deformation, relaxation transitions, time-temperature superposition
14. Reversibly and physically crosslinked polymers Special polymers
15. Semiconducting and conductive polymers, inorganic polymers, oriented polymers, liquid-crystalline polymers, self-healing polymers, stimuli-responsive polymers, self-assembling block copolymers
Annotation
This course is an introduction to the physics and to the rheology of polymers, especially to their mechanical, thermo-mechanical, tensile and fracture properties, to their viscosity and viscoelastic behavior in both melt and solution, as well as to viscoelastic behavior of solid polymers. The aim is to provide basic theoretical knowledge necessary to estimate the most important material properties of polymers from their structure.
The course should also provide a theoretical background concerning the main methods of physical and rheological characterization of polymers and explain the prastcical importance of the studied properties for the processing and for the service life of polymeric materials.