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.