331: Soft Materials
Different kinds of polymeric materials. Relationships between structure and physical properties; rubber elasticity, the glassy state, crystallinity in polymers. Lectures, laboratory. Prerequisites: 301 or equivalent; 314 or CHEM 342 1.
At the conclusion of the course students will be able to:
- Given the chemical structure of a common polymer, draw the chemical structures of the monomer(s) from which it was made.
- Given the chemical structure of a monomer (or monomers), draw the chemical structure polymers that can be synthesized from it (or them).
- Understand, describe and calculate the structural parameters of polymeric materials including monomer units, molecular weight, tacticity, coil dimension, crystallinity, and morphology.
- Describe the relationship between the above structural parameters and the mechanical and thermal properties of polymeric materials.
- Describe how the structure and mechanical properties of polymeric materials change at the glass transition temperature and at the melting temperature.
- Describe how the molecular structure of a surfactant determines its micelle structure.
- Describe how surfactant molecules and aggregates affect the optical properties, viscosity and surface tension of polymer solutions.
- Calculate the intermolecular and surface forces for molecules and colloids of different geometries.
- Design strategies to stabilize or destabilize colloidal systems.
- Identify a soft material application in daily life, such as in arts, music, sports or food, and explain how material advancement has imporved the application.