Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • isolate the key design features of a product which relate directly to the material(s) used in its construction
  • indicate how the properties of polymeric materials can be exploited by a product designer
  • describe the role of rubber-toughening in improving the mechanical properties of polymers
  • identify the repeat units of particular polymers and specify the isomeric structures which can exist for those repeat units
  • estimate the number- and weight-average molecular masses of polymer samples given the degree of polymerisation and mass fraction of chains present.