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Materials Synthesis I - Polymers
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:29:23
Abstract
The course teaches the basics and terminology of polymer synthesis. To synthesize various polymeric materials, different polymerization techniques are required. This course will introduce representative polymerization methodologies and will discuss how they operate in order to yield materials with enhanced polymeric characteristics.
Objective
1) The students will be able to recognize different polymer types and associate them with their chemical structure and properties (i.e. rubber elasticity, glass transition temperature, etc.) 2) The students will become familiar with various synthetic methods to produce polymers of different architectures and topologies 3) The students will be exposed to different characterization methods (e.g. size exclusion chromatography, mass-spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance) that are necessary to confirm the successful synthesis and structure of a polymer 4) The students will understand the mechanism of selected polymerization methodologies 5) The students will be introduced to state-of-the-art polymer synthesis and recent literature examples will be critically discussed
Content
conventional chain growth polymerization, living chain growth polymerization, step growth polymerization, polymeric architectures, molecular weight determination methods, polymer properties, polymerization mechanisms, polymer characterization methods
Resources
Lecture Notes
Lecture slides with references to further literature will be available on Moodle
Literature
L. Mandelkern „An Introduction to Macromolecules“ J. M. G. Cowie “Polymers: Chemistry and Physics of Modern Materials publications mentioned on the slides
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- session examination
- Mode
- written 120 minutes
- Aids
- None.
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Materials Synthesis I - Polymers |
|
4 h weekly |
Offered In
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Electives (Students are free to choose from a range of D-CHAB chemistry courses appropriate to their level of study (please note admission requirements). In case of doubt, contact the student administration.)
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Materials Science (Offered during Spring Semester.)
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