Courses:

Polymer Physics >> Content Detail



Syllabus



Syllabus

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Textbook


There is no required textbook for this course. A suggested reference is:

Amazon logo Young, R. J., and P. A. Lovell. Introduction to Polymers. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2000. ISBN: 9780748757404.



Assignments


Students must complete and hand in five problem sets during the term.

Students are also required to write a substantial essay on an area concerning the structure, processing, and physical properties of polymers. A two page detailed outline is due on Lec #13 and the paper is due seven days after Lec #23.



Exams


There will be two in-class exams.



Grading



ACTIVITIESPERCENTAGES
Five problem sets20%
Two exams50%
Essay - outline5%
Essay - final15%
Attendance and participation10%



Schedule



LEC #TOPICSKEY DATES
1Introduction; hard vs. soft solids; polymerization
2Chains; thermodynamics of polymer solutions
3Thermodynamics (cont.): Mean field; Flory Huggins and lattice theory; entropy and enthalpy of mixing; phase diagrams
4Polymer blends; viscosity; osmometryProblem set 1 due
5Osmometry (cont.); SEC (size exclusion chromatography) and GPC (gel permeation chromatography)
6Scattering; Zimm plots
7Glass transition temperature Tg
8Diffusion of polymers; reptation; elasticityProblem set 2 due
9Gels; Flory-Rehner theory
10Self organization
Exam I
11Intermaterial dividing surface (IMDS); polymer-based photonics
12Photonic crystals
13Influence of chain architecture on microdomain characteristics
14Block copolymer-homopolymer blends
15Hierarchically ordered BCP-nanoparticle composites
16Top down meets bottom upProblem set 3 due
17Chain folding; polyethylene and nylon; spherulites
18Mechanical properties; crazing; microframes and millitrusses
Exam IIProblem set 4 due
19Mechanical properties (cont.)
20Single wall and multi-wall nanotubes (SWNT, MWNT)
21Electronic polymers
22Polymer conductives; polypyrrole chains; optical interactionsProblem set 5 due
23Wrap-up and reviewProject report due

 








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