Polymer physics is the field of physics that studies polymers, their fluctuations, mechanical properties, as well as the kinetics of reactions involving degradation of polymers and polymerisation of monomers.[1][2][3][4]
While it focuses on the perspective of condensed matter physics, polymer physics was originally a branch of statistical physics. Polymer physics and polymer chemistry are also related to the field of polymer science, which is considered to be the applicative part of polymers.
Polymers are large molecules and thus are very complicated for solving using a deterministic method. Yet, statistical approaches can yield results and are often pertinent, since large polymers (i.e., polymers with many monomers) are describable efficiently in the thermodynamic limit of infinitely many monomers (although the actual size is clearly finite).
Thermal fluctuations continuously affect the shape of polymers in liquid solutions, and modeling their effect requires the use of principles from statistical mechanics and dynamics. As a corollary, temperature strongly affects the physical behavior of polymers in solution, causing phase transitions, melts, and so on.
The statistical approach to polymer physics is based on an analogy between polymer behavior and either Brownian motion or another type of a random walk, the self-avoiding walk. The simplest possible polymer model is presented by the ideal chain, corresponding to a simple random walk. Experimental approaches for characterizing polymers are also common, using polymer characterization methods, such as size exclusion chromatography, viscometry, dynamic light scattering, and Automatic Continuous Online Monitoring of Polymerization Reactions (ACOMP)[5][6] for determining the chemical, physical, and material properties of polymers. These experimental methods help the mathematical modeling of polymers and give a better understanding of the properties of polymers.
- Flory is considered the first scientist establishing the field of polymer physics.[1]
- French scientists contributed since the 70s (e.g. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, J. des Cloizeaux).[2][7]
- Doi and Edwards wrote a famous book in polymer physics.[3]
- Soviet/Russian school of physics (I. M. Lifshitz, A. Yu. Grosberg, A.R. Khokhlov, V.N. Pokrovskii) have been very active in the development of polymer physics.[8][9]
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- ^ a b P. Flory, Principles of Polymer Chemistry, Cornell University Press, 1953. ISBN 0-8014-0134-8.
- ^ a b Pierre Gilles De Gennes, Scaling Concepts in Polymer Physics CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS Ithaca and London, 1979
- ^ a b M. Doi and S. F. Edwards, The Theory of Polymer Dynamics Oxford University Inc NY, 1986
- ^ Michael Rubinstein and Ralph H. Colby, Polymer Physics Oxford University Press, 2003
- ^ US patent 6052184 and US Patent 6653150, other patents pending
- ^ F. H. Florenzano; R. Strelitzki; W. F. Reed, "Absolute, Online Monitoring of Polymerization Reactions", Macromolecules 1998, 31(21), 7226-7238
- ^ des Cloiseaux, Jacques; Jannink, Gerard (1991). Polymers in Solution. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1002/pola.1992.080300733.
- ^ Vladimir Pokrovski, The Mesoscopic Theory of Polymer Dynamics, Springer, 2010
- ^ A. Yu. Grosberg, A.R. Khokhlov. Statistical Physics of Macromolecules, 1994, American Institute o Physics