3.063 | Spring 2007 | Undergraduate

Polymer Physics

Course Description

This course presents the mechanical, optical, and transport properties of polymers with respect to the underlying physics and physical chemistry of polymers in melt, solution, and solid state. Topics include conformation and molecular dimensions of polymer chains in solutions, melts, blends, and block copolymers; an …
This course presents the mechanical, optical, and transport properties of polymers with respect to the underlying physics and physical chemistry of polymers in melt, solution, and solid state. Topics include conformation and molecular dimensions of polymer chains in solutions, melts, blends, and block copolymers; an examination of the structure of glassy, crystalline, and rubbery elastic states of polymers; thermodynamics of polymer solutions, blends, crystallization; liquid crystallinity, microphase separation, and self-assembled organic-inorganic nanocomposites. Case studies include relationships between structure and function in technologically important polymeric systems.
Learning Resource Types
Problem Sets
Lecture Notes
Written Assignments with Examples
Block copolymers of various compositions form BCC, hexagonal cylindrical, double gyroid, double diamond, and lamellar morphologies.
The various morphologies formed by self-assembling block copolymers can be used in a range of optical, magnetic, and electronic applications. (Figure by MIT OpenCourseWare.)