Polymer chains are made up of many monomers joined together, forming large macromolecules. They can be identical or similar, and have different characteristics and physical properties depending on their length, type of monomers, and backbone structure. Polymer chains are used in both natural and industrial applications, including DNA, silk, plastics, and rubber.
Polymer chains are large molecules, or macromolecules, made up of many monomers that are joined together. A monomer is a single unit of a molecule, such as amino acids and nucleotides. Mono means one and poly means many which means there are many monomers in a chain. To create a polymer chain, or polymer, the monomers that are joined together may be identical or similar.
When the term poly is used to describe a polymer chain, it refers to a very large number of monomers. There may be thousands or even millions of monomers in a single polymer. Not all molecules can bond together to form chains. Water is an example of a monomer that doesn’t bond together to form a chain, even when there are many water molecules.
Many different characteristics of a polymer chain determine the behavior of the polymer as a molecule and also how it interacts with other molecules. The first characteristic used to group the chains is the type of monomers that form the backbone of the polymer. If a polymer chain consists of only one type of repeating monomer, it is referred to as a homopolymer and if it contains different subunits, it is referred to as a copolymer. The name of each chain is often derived from the monomer backbone, for example DNA is a polynucleotide.
When polymers form, they can have a linear backbone or a branched backbone. Linear chains have the simplest structure, as they consist only of a long chain of monomers joined together without branching. A ring polymer is a special type of linear polymer, where the backbone has no branches but forms a ring instead of having a distinct start and end. Branching chains have a backbone with side chains branching off from it. These types of polymer chains can be quite complex and include structures such as ladders, dendrons, and star polymers.
Backbone length is an integral characteristic that determines the physical properties of a polymer chain. The length, or number of monomers, affects a number of different physical properties of the polymer. As chain length increases, melting and boiling temperatures increase, viscosity increases, and mobility decreases. There is also an increased likelihood of interactions within the molecules of the chain as it increases in length. These changes result in a stronger chain that is less prone to warping or breaking and better able to hold its position.
The different characteristics and physical properties of polymer chains are what made them so attractive, particularly for industrial uses. There are many common examples of both natural and industrially produced polymer chains. Natural polymers include DNA and RNA, silk, starch, cellulose and rubber. Common industrially produced polymers include polyester, nylon, and the many types of plastics that exist
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
