Polymer Chemistry Lab

Catalog description

This lab is designed to provide a practical and theoretical understanding of polymer synthesis and the analysis of those polymers. Students will prepare different classes of polymers learning techniques of addition and condensation reactions. These will include solution and melt polymerization processes. Syntheses will provide direct exposure to concepts such as reaction initiation, propagation and termination as well as reaction kinetics. The effects of time, temperature, pressure, catalysts, stoichiometric ratio and agitation rates will be studied to understand the different polymerization processes. Students will learn polymer analyses and techniques -thermal (Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis), molecular weight, viscosity/rheology tests, Fourier Transformation Infrared spectroscopy- to understand both the process and the polymers prepared.