Polymer Science in Chemical Engineering

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Abstract

Polymer science in chemical engineering has reached far from the roots of chemical engineering, into chemistry, physics, and materials science. Much polymer research in chemical engineering derives its engineering relevance from answering fundamental questions underlying polymer technology, rather than from directly pragmatic polymer engineering activities. Polymers are scientifically interesting and technologically relevant. As with other high-performance materials, the time span from conception of a new development in polymer materials science to implementation can be short. Engineers must therefore be close to the science in order to participate. Areas of application that currently drive much new polymer development include adhesion, microelectronics, transportation, medicine, and communications. Polymers are mainly processed in the fluid state, bringing fluid mechanics expertise into play. All human-made polymeric materials to date have distributions of molecular weight, composition, and architecture. The techniques discussed for synthesis of block copolymers are the most precise available. The trend in polymerization engineering is toward smaller volume and therefore batch processes, and toward production of lower molecular weight functionalized polymers that are used as building blocks for microstructured polymers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)321-345
Number of pages25
JournalAdvances in Chemical Engineering
Volume16
Issue numberC
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1991

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