p. 11. General principles and historical aspects
- David J. WaltonDavid J. WaltonCoventry University
- and J. Phillip LorimerJ. Phillip LorimerCoventry University
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of polymers, which are formed by linking large numbers of small molecules together. Polymers are now ubiquitous in daily life. Not only have polymers found a wide use in structural and textile materials, polymer substitutes have also found a wide application in medicine. Moreover, synthetic polymers have had a sizeable impact in the field of fibres, plastics, and rubbers (elastomers). While the majority of polymers are synthetic polymers, there are natural polymers such as proteins, natural rubber, and cellulose, each of which could be fitted into a similar category. It was as a result of early attempts to modify these natural materials that the important understanding of polymer behaviour arose. The chapter then presents the general principles of polymerization; the statistical nature of polymer chains; and the general principles of industrial polymer synthesis.
