Charles E. Carraher Jr. Polymers or macromolecules represent a significant portion of activity in the chemical industry and our daily lives. Our modern world would be totally different without artificial fibers, plastics, elastomers, etc. Polymer science is an intensive field unto itself, incorporating aspects of organic and physical chemistry and chemical and mechanical engineering. Many univerisities have science and engineering departments devoted solely to polymeric materials.
Polymers can be both organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic.
The complexity of this subject requires that we draw from a wide variety of disciplines. This course is intended to provide the student with a brief introduction to this complex field. Our concentration will be primarily on the physical and chemical principles which govern the preparation and properties of macromolecules. We will also examine how the properties of polymers are analyzed and correlated to structure.