POLYMER ENGINEERING

ChE (411)

Lecture # 2

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 Polymer Nomenclature
 The word polymer comes from where ?

1- Common Names
 Place of origin of the material
e.g. ‘Hevea brasilliensis’ means ‘rubber from Brazil’ (natural
rubber
 Discoverer
e.g. Bakelite (produced by condensation of phenol and
formaldehyde) commercialized by Leo Bakeland (1905)
 Number of carbon atoms
e.g. Nylon-66 produced by the condensation of 1,6-
hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid is called nylon-66.

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 NH2
H2N

1,6-hexamethylenediamine + O

O
OH

Adipic acid
OH

O NH
)
N
H R
(

R Nylon-66

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 2- Source-Based Names
Obtain from the monomer (source) and preceded by the prefix ‘poly’
) R
(
R
CH2
1

1-phenylethene Polystyrene
(Styrene)

2 H2C CH2 [ CH2 CH2 ] n

Ethylene Polyethylene

Ethylene glycol

+
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) PET
Terephthalic acid Or Dacron or PET

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 S. No. Source-Based Names
1 Polyacrylonitrile
2 Poly(ethylene oxide)
3 Poly(ethylene terephthalate)
4 Polyisobutylene
5 Poly(methyl methacrylate)
6 Polypropylene
7 Polystyrene
8 Polytetraflouroethylene
9 Poly(vinyl chloride)
10 Poly(vinyl alcohol)
11 Poly(vinyl chloride)
12 Poly(vinyl butyral)

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 3- Structure-Based Names
 Source based names are generally for simple polymer.
 for complex polymers based on the structure.

S. No. Structure-Based Names

1 Poly(1-cyanoethylene)
2 Polyoxyethylene
3 Polyoxyethyleneoxyterephthalaloyl
4 Poly(1,1-dimethylethylene)
5 Poly[(1-methoxycarbonyl)-1-methylethylene]
6 Poly(1-methyethylene)
7 Poly(1-phenylethylene)
8 Polydifluoromethylene
9 Poly(1-acetoxyethylene)
10 Poly(1-hydroxyethylene)
11 Poly(1-chloroethylene)

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 Linkage-Based Names
Polymer family is ‘poly’ followed by the linkage name

S. No. Family Name Linkage

1 Polyamide N C
2 Polyester O C
3 Polyurethane O C N
4 Polyether O
5 Polysiloxane O Si

6 Polyvinyl C C

7 Polyanhydride C O C

8 Polyurea N C N

9 Polycarbonate O C O

10 Polysulfide S

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 4- Homopolymers
Polymer derived from one species of monomer
Or
Polymer that contain only a single type of repeat unit

A A A A A A A A [ A ]n
Examples

CH2 [ CH2 CH2 ] n

CH2

Ethylene Polyethylene

Vinyl Chloride Polyvinyl Chloride

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 CH2 CH [ CH2 CH ]n

Propylene Polypropylene
CH3 CH3

CF2 CF2 [ CF2 CF2 ] n

Tetraflouroethylene Polytetraflouroethylene

CH2 CH [ CH2 CH ]n

Styrene Polystyrene

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 5- Copolymers
Polymer derived from more than one species of monomer
Or
Polymer that contain a mixture of repeat units
Or
Polymers whose molecules contain two or more different
types of repeat units.
Poly monomer 1 Co monomer 2
Example: polyethylene Co Vinyl acetate

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 Ethylene glycol

+
Poly(ethylene co terephthalate) PET

Terephthalic acid

H H
Hexamethylene diamine

+ [ N ( CH2 ) N
6 C ( CH2 )
8
C ]n

O O

Poly(hexamethylene co sebacate)
Sebacic acid

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 Types of Copolymer
Alternating

Random

Block

Graft

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Example:

1- On the basis of the structures presented in this chapter, sketch repeat unit structures
for the following polymers: polychlorotrifluoroethylene, poly(vinyl alcohol).
polyteflon and polyester.
Polychlorotrifluoroethylene Poly(vinyl alcohol)

polytetrafluoroethylene) or Teflon Ester

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 2- Compute repeat unit molecular weights for the following: (a) poly(vinyl chloride),
(b) poly(ethylene terephthalate), (c) polycarbonate, and (d) polydimethylsiloxane.

a) For poly(vinyl chloride), each repeat unit consists of two carbons, three hydrogens, and one
chlorine. If AC, AH and ACl represent the atomic weights of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine,
respectively, then
m = 2(AC) + 3(AH) + (ACl)
= (2)(12.01 g/mol) + (3)(1.008 g/mol) + 35.45 g/mol = 62.49 g/mol

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