PHYSICS 755 / Physical Properties of Polymers

3 unit(s)

This course is intended to be an introduction to the fundamental topics in polymer physics. Topics include polymer chain conformations, elasticity of polymer chains and networks, excluded volume effects, polymer mixtures and phase behaviour, polymer crystallisation, polymer dynamics and the glass transition, mechanical properties like viscoelasticity, non-Newtonian flow, yield processes and fracture. Current research topics such as polymer self-assembly, morphologies and polymer thin films will be discussed.