Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
For a polymer to exhibit the thermally induced shape-memory effect, it must have anchor points for temporary and permanent shape. These can be physical (chain entanglements, crystals) or chemical (chemical crosslinking, curing, vulcanization). This effect in polymers depends on entropic forces and not on martensitic transitions like metals.
The characterization of mechanical properties in polymers typically refers to a measure of the strength, elasticity, viscoelasticity, and anisotropy of a polymeric material. The mechanical properties of a polymer are strongly dependent upon the Van der Waals interactions of the polymer chains, and the ability of the chains to elongate and align ...
In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening ("curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer . [1] Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and may be promoted by high pressure or mixing with a catalyst .
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. [1] [2] [3] There are many forms of polymerization [4] and different systems exist to categorize them.
The polymer chains associate by intermolecular forces, which weaken rapidly with increased temperature, yielding a viscous liquid. In this state, thermoplastics may be reshaped, and are typically used to produce parts by various polymer processing techniques such as injection molding , compression molding , calendering , and extrusion .
Polymer degradation is a change in the properties—tensile strength, color, shape, or molecular weight—of a polymer or polymer-based product under the influence of one or more environmental factors, such as heat, light, and the presence of certain chemicals, oxygen, and enzymes.
The fraction of the ordered molecules in polymer is characterized by the degree of crystallinity, which typically ranges between 10% and 80%. [4] Higher values are only achieved in materials having small molecules, which are usually brittle, or in samples stored for long time at temperatures just under the melting point.
The polymer is known as Kraton and is used for shoe soles and adhesives. Owing to the microfine structure, a transmission electron microscope (TEM) was needed to examine the structure. The butadiene matrix was stained with osmium tetroxide to provide contrast in the image.