Offered Every Spring


Credit Hours: 3-0-3
Prerequisites: CHE, CHEM, ME, MSE, or PTFE 4776 or equivalent, or with the consent of the instructor
Catalog Description: Formulations and analysis of molecular and phenomenological models of elastic and viscoelastic behavior, development and description of structure, and fundamental aspects of structure-property relations. Crosslisted with CHE, MSE, and PTFE 6768.
Textbooks: None
Instructors: A.S. Abhiraman (ChE); Karl Jacob (PTFE)
Goals:
  • Learn phenomenological and molecular models of phase transitions in bulk polymers
  • Learn molecular and phenomenological models of rubber elasticity and viscoelasticity
  • Learn the foundations of structure-property relations in anisotropic bulk polymers
  • Prepare students for research in the field of polymer process-structure-property relationships
Topics:
  1. Structure and states
  • A review of structure and physical states of polymers
  • Conformations and spatial configurations: Principles and models
    • Review of equilibrium and statistical thermodynamics; partition functions for polymer chains; freely orienting chain analogs for flexible polymer chains
  • Rubber elasticity: Advanced Models
    • 1-, 2-, and 3-D models of elastcity in isolated chains; single chain to network extensions; non-ideal rubbers
  • Viscoelasticity
    • linear viscoelasticity and superposition
    • time-temperature superposition of modulus and viscosity functions
    • experiments in viscoelasticity
    • viscoelastic transitions and structure
    • molecular origins of viscoelastic behavior of polymers
    • nonlinear models
  • Fundamental Aspects of Process-Morphology Relations
    • thermodynamics of melting/crystallization
    • kinetics and modes of crystal growth
    • energetics of crystal nucleation phenomena
    • process - morphology relations (phase separating transitions in solutions and bulk polymers; flow and orientation; crystallization in anisotropic polymers; stress field and crystallization; crystallization in copolymers and blends)
  • Principles and techniques for analysis of anisotropy in polymers principles governing birefringence, sonic pulse propagation and infra-red dichroism
  • Structure-mechanical property relations
    • two- and three- phase models of polymer morphology and physical properties
  • Viscosity and Diffusion in Polymers
    • segmental jumps, viscosity and diffusion in polymers
  • Special Topics
    • students' research reports on current literature
    Delivery Mode (%):

    Lecture

    100
    Grading Scheme (%):

    Homework

    10

    Exams

    90