MATSE 458/CHEM 482: Polymer Physical Chemistry
Homepage : http://simu.mse.uiuc.edu/458/index.html
Textbook : M. Rubinstein and R. H. Colby, "Polymer Physics"
Catalog Description, Prerequisites and Schedule:
Intermediate level introduction to the fundamental physical chemistry of polymer systems. Focus is on equilibrium conformation, structure, properties, and phase transitions of polymer solutions, dense melts, liquid crystals, mixtures, block copolymers, surfaces and interfaces, and electronic polymers. Prerequisite: 400-level course in thermodynamics, statistical thermodynamics or physical chemistry. 3 hours or 4 hours. 3lecture-discussion hours/week
Course Topics:
1. Polymer structure and conformational statistics; chemically
realistic models versus coarse-grained descriptions.
2. Dilute solution conformation and solvent quality; excluded
volume and chain swelling; theta state and collapse to globule
in poor solvents; charged polyelectrolytes and coil-to-rod transition.
3. Dense solutions, melts, gels and rubber networks; dilute, semidilute,
concentrated and melt regimes; scaling concepts; gelation and
pecolation concepts; classical theory of rubber elasticity.
4. Polymers near and tethered to surfaces, and in confined spaces;
conformation and film thickness; physical adsoprtion; grafted
polymer brushes, colloidal stability.
5. Liquid crystalline phases; mesogenic molecules; nematic and
smectic order; role of different intermolecular forces; Onsager
theory of lyotropic rigid rods; thermotropics; semiflexibility
effects on phase diagrams.
6. Liquid-liquid phase separation; mixture thermodynamics and
regular solution theory; Flory-Huggins theory of polymer solutions
and blends; interface widths in phase-separated morphologies.
7. Self-assembly and microphase separation; copolymer molecular
structure; order-disorder phase transition, ordered phase symmetries,
domain sizes; micelle formation in selective solvents.
8. Conjugated and conducting polymers; electron delocalization,
optical properties, doping, electrical conductivity and transport
mechanisms.
Course Objectives:
1. To fundamentally understand and derive the connection between
monomer structure, temperature, solution conditions, degree of
polymerization and 3-dimensional conformation.
2. To understand and derive how charging polymers can result in
fundamental property changes.
3. To understand and derive the physical basis for thermodynamic,
conformational and structural changes in polymers solutions and
melts.
4. To understand the physical origin of rubber elasticity and
gelation.
5. To understand the conformation of polymers adsorbed on surfaces,
and trapped between surfaces, and the influence of solvent quality
and polymer-surface attractive interactions.
6. To learn about liquid crystalline phases, their symmetry characterization,
and the physical forces which control phase diagrams.
7. To learn about phase separation in polymer solutions and blends,
and the basic theoretical understanding.
8. To learn about microphase separated copolymer structures, the
structure of phase separated blends, and the influence of thermodynamics
and molecular weight on these questions.
9. To introduce the student to electroactive polymers, and the
conformational, optical, and electrical properties in synthetic
metals.
Course Outcomes:
1. To understand the diverse equilibrium experimental behavior
of polymers in the solution, melt, rubbery, and confined state.
2. To be able to qualitatively think at the molecular level about
physical polymer behavior and processes.
3. To be able to quantify with simple physical ideas(statistical
thermodynamic) the competing entropic and enthalpic aspects of
a multitude of physical processes.
4. To expose the student to both classical, and modern, theoretical
concepts in physical polymer science and how they can be used
to make experimentally testable predictions.
5. To provide the fundamental equilibrium foundation for learning
about polymer dynamics and rheology.
Assessment Tools:
1. Homework problems involving application, and extension,
of concepts and calculational methods presented in class.
2. Written open book midterm and (comprehensive) final exams.
3. For 4 hours credit, a ~10 page term paper on a subject in physical
polymer science of interest to the student and relevance to the
class subject matter.
Contribution of Course to Meeting the Professional Component:
100%
Prepared by:
Kenneth Schweizer, September 2006