Polymer science 2372548 209238567 2008-04-30T15:00:45Z Dirac66 2038644 /* Nobel prizes related to polymer science */ Added links for 2005 winners '''Polymer science''' or '''macromolecular science''' is the subfield of [[materials science]] concerned with [[polymer]]s, primarily synthetic polymers such as [[plastic]]s. The field of polymer science includes researchers in multiple disciplines including [[chemistry]], [[physics]], and [[engineering]]. This [[science]] comprises two main sub-disciplines: *[[Polymer chemistry]] or [[macromolecular chemistry]], concerned with the chemical synthesis and chemical properties of polymers. *[[Polymer physics]], concerned with the bulk properties of polymer materials and engineering applications. ==History of polymer science== [[Henri Braconnot]]'s work in the [[1830]]s is perhaps the first modern example of polymer science. Braconnot, along with [[Christian Schönbein]] and others, developed derivatives of the natural polymer [[cellulose]] producing new, semi-synthetic materials, such as [[celluloid]] and [[cellulose acetate]]. The term "polymer" was coined in 1833 by [[Jöns Jakob Berzelius]], though Berzelius did little that would be considered polymer science in the modern sense. In the [[1840]]s, [[Friedrich Ludersdorf]] and [[Nathaniel Hayward]] independently [[plastic|discovered]] that adding sulfur to raw natural [[rubber]] ([[isoprene|polyisoprene]]) helped prevent the material from becoming sticky. In 1844 [[Charles Goodyear]] received a U.S. patent for [[vulcanization|vulcanizing]] rubber with [[sulfur]] and heat. [[Thomas Hancock]] had received a patent for the same process in the UK the year before. Vulcanized rubber represents the first commercially successful product of polymer research. In 1884 [[Hilaire de Chardonnet]] started the first artificial [[fiber]] plant based on regenerated [[cellulose]], or [[viscose]] [[rayon]], as a substitute for [[silk]], but it was very flammable.<ref>[http://www.plastiquarian.com/top.htm plastiquarian]</ref> In [[1907]] [[Leo Baekeland]] invented the first [[chemical synthesis|synthetic]] polymer, a [[thermoset]]ting [[phenol]]-[[formaldehyde]] resin called [[Bakelite]]. Despite significant advances in polymer synthesis, the molecular nature of the polymer was not understood until the work of [[Hermann Staudinger]] in 1922. Prior to Staudinger's work, polymers were understood in terms of the [[association theory]] or aggregate theory which originated with [[Thomas Graham]] in 1861. Graham proposed that cellulose and other polymers were "colloids", aggregates of molecules small molecular mass connected by an unknown intermolecular force. [[Hermann Staudinger]] was the first to propose that polymers consisted of long chains of [[atoms]] held together by [[covalent bond]]s. It took over a decade for Staudinger's work to gain wide acceptance in the scientific community, work for which he was awarded the [[Nobel Prize]] in 1953. The [[World War II]] era marked the emergence of a strong commercial polymer industry.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The limited or restricted supply of natural materials such as silk and latex necessitated the increased production of synthetic substitutes, such as [[rayon]] and [[neoprene]]. In the intervening years, the development of advanced polymers such as [[Kevlar]] and [[Teflon]] have continued to fuel a strong and growing polymer industry. The growth in industrial applications was mirrored by the establishment of strong academic programs and research institute. In 1946, [[Herman Francis Mark|Herman Mark]] established the Polymer Research Institute at [[Brooklyn Polytechnic]], the first research facility in the [[United States]] dedicated to polymer research. Mark is also recognized as a pioneer in establishing curriculum and pedagogy for the field of polymer science.<ref name = "NHCL Polymer Research Institute" >{{cite web | url=http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/polymer/pol_1.html | title=Polymer Research Institute | work=National Historical Chemical Landmarks | accessdate = 2007-11-07 }}</ref> In 1950, the POLY division of the [[American Chemical Society]] was formed, and has since grown to the second-largest division in this association with nearly 8,000 members. ==Nobel prizes related to polymer science== '''2005''' (Chemistry) [[Robert Grubbs]], [[Richard Schrock]], [[Yves Chauvin]] for olefin metathesis '''2000''' (Chemistry) [[Alan G. MacDiarmid]], [[Alan J. Heeger]], and [[Hideki Shirakawa]] for work on [[electroactive polymers]] contributing to the advent of [[molecular electronics]] '''1991''' (Physics) [[Pierre-Gilles de Gennes]] for developing a generalized theory of phase transitions with particular applications to describing ordering and phase transitions in polymers. '''1974''' (Chemistry) [[Paul J. Flory]] for contributions to theoretical polymer chemistry. '''1963''' (Chemistry) [[Giulio Natta]] and [[Karl Ziegler]] for contributions in polymer synthesis. ([[Ziegler-Natta catalysis]]). '''1953''' (Chemistry) [[Hermann Staudinger]] for contributions to the understanding of macromolecular chemistry. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.chemseer.com/journals/journals_polymer.shtml|List of scholarly journals pertaining to polymer science] * [http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/polymer/pol_1.html|ACS landmark page dedicated to Herman Mark and the founding of the Polymer Research Institute] * [http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=196629 Polymer structure] [[Category:Condensed matter physics]] [[Category:Materials science]] [[Category:Polymers]]